A year ago, things were looking up for Markelle Fultz. In 2022/23, the former No. 1 overall pick posted career highs in several categories with the Magic, including points (14.0), rebounds (3.9), assists (5.7), steals (1.5) and minutes per game (29.6) while shooting a career-best 51.4% from the field in 60 regular season contests, all starts.
Sure, there were still holes in his game. He rarely attempted long-range shots, converting just 31.0% of his 1.5 three-point attempts per game — and that represented the most accurate mark of his career. While he had a good deal of success on mid-range looks, having a guard who can’t space the floor isn’t ideal for a team’s offense.
2023/24 was a big season for Fultz, as he was set to hit unrestricted free agency this offseason. But instead of building on his success, his campaign was once again plagued by injuries and inconsistent play.
Fultz only appeared in 43 games last season, making 18 starts (21.2 MPG). He averaged 7.8 PPG, 3.2 RPG, 2.8 APG and 1.0 SPG, shooting 47.2% from the field but only attempting 18 threes all season (he made four, or 22.2%). He played pretty well in Orlando’s first-round playoff loss to Cleveland, but his minutes were cut back even further (15.0 MPG).
With training camps set to open in the next couple weeks, Fultz is the best player available on the open market, according to our list of 2024’s top 50 free agents. Fultz came in at No. 43 when the list was made in June and is the only player in the top 50 still looking for a new team.
When healthy, Fultz brings plus size and athleticism for a lead guard, and he’s a crafty ball-handler, play-maker and finisher, on top of being a solid defender. He’s also only 26 years old.
Fultz has made 87MM+ over the course of his seven NBA seasons, but at this point in the offseason, he’ll probably only get non-guaranteed minimum-salary contract offers, similar to those signed by veterans like Landry Shamet, Marcus Morris, Lonnie Walker, Tristan Thompson and Talen Horton-Tucker. The fact that Fultz has only played 234 regular season games in seven seasons doesn’t help his cause.
The Magic renounced their free agent rights to Fultz when they used cap room to sign Kentavious Caldwell-Pope this summer. Orlando could technically still re-sign Fultz, but with Caldwell-Pope, Jalen Suggs, Cole Anthony, Anthony Black, Gary Harris and Cory Joseph already on the roster, the team’s backcourt looks pretty full. And the Magic already have 15 players on guaranteed standard contracts, making a reunion unlikely.
I’d be surprised if Fultz doesn’t play in the NBA at all in ’24/25. But there aren’t many roster openings around the league, and the season begins in just over a month. If he receives — and accepts — a training camp invite, will he make a team’s regular season roster?
That leads us to today’s poll: Will Fultz open the 2024/25 season on an NBA team? If you believe he’ll be on a roster, head to the comments section and let us know which team it will be.
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