The Philadelphia 76ers have finally punted on Markelle Fultz.
The Sixers traded Fultz to the Orlando Magic on Thursday, just beating the trade deadline.
Fultz was the No. 1 pick in the 2017 and only played in 33 games over a season and a half for the Sixers due to multiple mysterious issues. He dealt with either the yips or a shoulder injury, depending on what you choose to believe. He has been out supposedly recovering from thoracic outlet syndrome, and the Magic have decided to take a chance on him.
They traded Jonathan Simmons and two draft picks for him. The top pick is a top-20 protected first-round pick from the Thunder and a second-round pick via Cleveland. Simmons is mostly a bench player, so recouping the draft picks will be big for Philly.
NBA reporter Keith Smith says the Sixers will take caution with Fultz and that he may not play for them this season.
Source: Orlando will exercise patience with Markelle Fultz's return to play. The Magic are taking the long-view with Fultz potentially being the starting guard to pair with the rest of their young core. Don't be surprised if Fultz doesn't return to play this season.
— Keith Smith (@KeithSmithNBA) February 7, 2019
The Magic now have another young player to add to their core, joining Aaron Gordon, Nikola Vucevic, Mo Bamba, and Evan Fournier.
