As frustrations between Markelle Fultz and the Philadelphia 76ers continue to grow, a report has surfaced suggesting the NBA club has accepted the 2017 No. 1 draft pick is not long for the team.
The Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey reported that "Fultz is no longer in the Sixers' long-term plans" as the team's front office continues to bicker with Fultz's agent while the second-year player's shooting form becomes the subject of public ridicule.
Fultz has seen his playing time reduced since the Sixers acquired All-Star swingman Jimmy Butler in a trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves earlier this month to form a superstar trio with Joel Embiid and Australian Ben Simmons.
On Monday, Fultz played only seven minutes and scored zero points, but after the game did not mention anything about an injury. The next day his agent, Raymond Brothers, told the media the point guard would not play again until he saw a specialist for an examination on his ailing shoulder this coming week.
Sixers coach Brett Brown and general manager Elton Brand both said that news came a surprise to them.
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"There's nothing we saw medically that didn't allow him to play," Brand said after practice on Tuesday. "He played last night. He played two days ago."
The next day, Brothers came out and said publicly that Fultz has not requested a trade. That night, Fultz sat out. A day later, Thanksgiving, Dallas Cowboys receiver Amari Cooper mimicked Fultz's newest free-throw shooting form as part of a touchdown celebration.
Fultz's stroke at the free-throw line, which in recent weeks has included an elongated pause and him continually tossing the ball from hand to hand as if it were a hot potato, has become the subject of jokes and talk-show conjecture.
The belief, and claim by the team, has been that his shooting struggles were a byproduct of shoulder ailments. But speculation has grown that the shooting issues are mental with Fultz.
Fultz played in all of Philadelphia's first 19 games this season, including 15 starts, before sitting out Wednesday's 121-120 win against the New Orleans Pelicans. He is averaging 8.2 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists this season and ranks eighth on the team with 22.5 minutes per game.
Injuries, primarily to his shoulder, limited Fultz to only 14 games as a 2017-18 rookie.
But, according to Pompey, the 76ers "are no longer using (Fultz's) shoulder as an excuse for his performances."
