Potential trade suitors want the truth from Markelle Fultz about his shooting woes
Despite the news that Markelle Fultz will sit out Philadelphia 76ers practices and games while he seeks medical examinations of his right shoulder and rehabs an apparent right wrist injury, potential trade partners remain skeptical that the 2017 No. 1 overall pick’s issues are more physical than mental.
Would-be suitors are only interested if Fultz and his agent, Raymond Brothers, are “truthful” about the 20-year-old’s status, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Keith Pompey. This suggests opposing teams doubt the validity of Fultz’s injury claims, which have led him on a fact-finding mission with shoulder specialists this week. The Sixers are also dubious of Fultz’s injuries, The Athletic reported.
Via Pompey:
In other words, potential 76ers trade partners don’t want Fultz saying that his right shoulder and wrist are bothering him if he actually has a mental block that’s hindering his shooting, the source said.
Meanwhile, Fultz’s own search for answers, which included “several rounds of examinations in recent days,” will bleed into next week, and his teammates are becoming “increasingly concerned about his overall well-being, beyond his struggles on the court,” according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. All of this suggests trade partners will find it difficult to determine the truth, because Fultz may not know it.
A brief history of Markelle Fultz’s shooting woes
By now, you surely know about Fultz’s precipitous fall from grace. He was widely considered the best prospect in the 2017 NBA draft, so much so that the Sixers traded the No. 3 pick that became Jayson Tatum and the Sacramento Kings’ top-one protected 2019 first-round pick for his services. However, Fultz reported to training camp as a rookie with a hitch in his shot that perplexed everyone involved.
The Sixers sat Fultz for much of 2017-18 with what was termed muscular scapula imbalance. He returned to action at the end of his rookie campaign, even logging a triple-double in the regular-season finale, but his inability to shoot led to his benching during the playoffs. His personal trainer conceded that the guard had developed “the yips” as a result of the injury, and the two worked throughout the summer to reconstruct his shot, injecting optimism into an otherwise strange story.
The odd timing of Fultz’s leave of absence
Early on in his second season, it became apparent that the issue had not been resolved. The hitch in his shot worsened. He parted ways with his trainer, the 76ers turned his minutes over to backup point guard T.J. McConnell, and Fultz’s agent subsequently informed multiple reporters that his client would no longer participate in practices or games until they sorted out his shoulder ailment.
Fultz’s leave of absence was met with considerable skepticism. It came on the heels of the McConnell promotion, and Fultz had shown no signs of health concerns beyond a strange-looking shot. Even then, the actions Fultz was taking to address his mechanics — juggling the ball in his hands on free-throw attempts — pointed less to physical issues and more to someone trying to overcome a mental blockage.
Should Fultz stay or should he go?
Meanwhile, reports indicated that the Sixers were prepared to move on from Fultz, and Fultz was prepare to move on from the Sixers. The question then became: What kind of trade market is there for a player who has shown few signs of being the same player who the Sixers drafted first overall in 2017? It makes some sense for a team rebuilding around a youth movement to take a flier on a guard whose playmaking, scoring and defense seemed like an ideal fit for the modern NBA just 18 months ago.
According to Pompey, the Cleveland Cavaliers showed some interest in Fultz before trading Kyle Korver to the Utah Jazz, and the Phoenix Suns remain interested, but they first want the truth from Fultz and his agent before investing the $10 million he is guaranteed for next season. It’s unclear what teams would consider worse for Fultz — the shoulder issue or a mental block. Either way, that the market for a top overall pick has fallen so far, so fast remains one of the strangest NBA stories in recent memory.
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Ben Rohrbach is a staff writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at rohrbach_ben@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @brohrbach
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