Markieff Morris will star in a new ad for a DC-area pizza chain that "will debut during Saturday's broadcast" of Wizards-Bulls on NBC Sports Washington despite the Wizards trading the forward to the Pelicans late Wednesday night, according to Scott Allen of the WASHINGTON POST. Paisano's Pizza filmed the ad with Morris this summer, but ESB Advertising "finally completed" editing the spot late Wednesday afternoon. Morris was traded "less than five hours later." The ad is slated to air "twice during every Wizards game on the network for the remainder of the season." ESB Advertising Founder Eiman Bassam said that he "considered pulling Morris' commercial entirely, but ultimately decided to let it run 'for a few weeks.'" Allen notes Paisano's shot an ad with Redskins LB Ryan Kerrigan, DT Daron Payne and WR Josh Doctson that ran "throughout the NFL season," while a Capitals-themed ad with LW Andre Burakovsky and RW Devante Smith-Pelly debuted last month. Ironically, there has been "speculation for months that Burakovsky ... will be dealt" before the NHL trade deadline later this month. Meanwhile, there is "nothing to be done about the more than two million delivery menus featuring an image of Morris that Paisano's printed a couple of weeks ago" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 2/8).
