Since entering the league in 2017, Markelle Fultz has had one of the strangest career trajectories of any first-overall pick in recent memory. After struggling with health—along with a perplexing breakdown of shooting mechanics—for two years in Philadelphia, he was shipped off to the Orlando Magic. In Orlando, Fultz experienced a bit of a career renaissance and established himself as a solid NBA player. However, it wasn’t long before the injury bug bit Fultz once again. Over the course of five regular seasons with the Magic, Fultz managed just 201 games. Injury history aside, it is still a bit unusual to see Fultz currently without a job, given his age and pedigree as a former number-one pick.
As NBA Training Camp Approaches Markelle Fultz Remains Unsigned
Markelle Fultz’s Current Options
With training camp less than a month away, Fultz’s options are quickly dwindling. As of this writing, there are only seven NBA teams who still have roster spots available. At this point, it is looking increasingly more likely that Fultz will have to accept a one-year vet-minimum deal. Of course, that all assumes Fultz still wants to extend his career in the NBA. It’s possible that the former number one overall pick could accept a lucrative offer from overseas—one which offers him much more opportunity and stability. Although Fultz is still very young (26), the overseas route is a course we’ve seen several notable NBA veterans take this offseason, including Cedi Osman, Patrick Beverley, and Darius Bazley.
What Fultz Still Has to Offer
Fultz has never come close to achieving the stardom that is typically expected of most first-overall picks, but he has proven himself to be a useful—albeit limited—backup and role player. When healthy, Fultz has consistently shown an intriguing knack for playmaking—with two career triple-doubles to show for it. Additionally, Fultz has always shown a propensity for wreaking havoc on the defensive end, aided by his stout positional size. In the right setting, there is no doubt in my mind that Fultz could expertly lead any team’s second. With a good bill of health, Fultz could even make an interesting case to be a dark horse Sixth Man of the Year candidate.
The Last Word
All things considered, it makes a decent amount of sense for the Magic to move on from Markelle Fultz at this time. With a handful of younger, more heavily invested players already on their roster, Fultz was likely looking at a significantly reduced role going into the 2024-2025 season. Additionally, those younger, more invested players—mainly Jalen Suggs and Anthony Black—have skill sets that overlap a great deal with Fultz’s.
If Fultz is able to find a new home, look for the back end of his NBA career to look a lot like Ricky Rubio’s. While Fultz is not quite the same level passer or playmaker, he can have a similar impact. From 2019-2023, Rubio was a perfectly useful impact role player for teams like the Suns, Timberwolves, and Cavaliers. A healthy Markelle Fultz can do much of the same.
