Getty Images Markelle Fultz on the bench
Are Markelle Fultz’s issues mental or physical? Will he ever shoot the same way that he once did back when he was with the Washington Huskies? Is he still mentally with the Philadelphia 76ers, or did he already check out? These are just a few or a ton of questions that surround Markelle Fultz, but these questions may never be answered.
The entire Markelle Fultz situation in Philly has been bizarre. First, he’s hurt. Then he’s mentally preventing himself from succeeding. He’s fine one minute, and the next minute he’s deactivated from the team and seeing not one, but multiple specialists for injuries that the team wasn’t even made aware of.
Whatever is going on with Fultz, it’s definitely a problem. Sources around the league say that the Sixers are only open to trading him, while others believe that they are actively trying to sell him. Regardless of how bad the Sixers want to trade Fultz or not, it doesn’t seem like his demand is going to be very high, which is quite shocking considering that he was the first overall pick just a summer ago.
Fultz Holds No Trade Value?
Bleacher Report writer, Yaron Weitzman recently spoke to multiple anonymous NBA executives to get an inside scoop of how the league feels about Markelle Fultz. For the Sixers, the news isn’t very thrilling. While Fultz is only 20-years-old and in his second year in the NBA one year after being selected above every other rookie, he doesn’t seem to have much upside in the eyes of front offices around the league.
Fultz seems unwilling to acknowledge this could be the root of his issues, which has some teams worried about the likelihood of him fixing this issue in the future.
“He’s shown that when he’s willing to, he can get that 15-foot jumper any time, and some of his moves in the paint or on the break are the kinds of things most guys just can’t do,” was how one Eastern Conference scout described Fultz’s game earlier this season. It is why an opposing general manager said he believes “there could be a limited market for [Fultz].”
“I’d be surprised if they get any type of first-round pick,” another team executive said. “It’s just hard for any team who is trying to have space this summer to take a flyer on a guy like that who will eat into their space like he will.”
At this point, it may be best for the Sixers to simply dump Fultz off for the best value they can get. As Fultz has been demoted not once, but twice already this year, the Sixers don’t really seem to have a need for the Sophomore guard in 2018. And with all of the rumors of Fultz’s camp causing problems behind the scenes, it may be best for both parties to just merely depart. Fultz could use a fresh start, and the Sixers could get rid of the potential off-court distractions that are occurring behind the scenes.