Despite being well within the Philadelphia 76ers’ rearview mirror, former number one overall pick Markelle Fultz still looms large on their franchise. Nevertheless, he currently finds himself out of the NBA, with him currently unsigned entering the 2025-26 season.
That was after Fultz was infamously taken first overall in 2017 after the Sixers chose to trade up to number one. That proved to be a colossal mistake, with the Boston Celtics using the third overall pick to draft Jayson Tatum.
Tatum and the Celtics have dominated the East in recent years, while the Sixers have had great teams but not quite enough to make a deep playoff run. While the Sixers could have certainly used the player that Fultz projected to be, they managed to make the best out of a bizarre situation.
They traded him to the Orlando Magic and used the pick they received in return for him to eventually select star Tyrese Maxey.
The Philadelphia 76ers have moved on from Markelle Fultz
In many ways, Maxey turned into the player that many thought Fultz would become. Go figure. Still, with several high lottery picks, including Jahlil Okafor, Nerlens Noel, Ben Simmons, and Fultz, failing to pan out, the Sixers’ once seemingly perfect young core never really materialized.
Of course, they struck gold with Joel Embiid, even though that initially looked like a disaster and is still touch-and-go given his injury issues. They have done well to build a very good team around him, even though they may never reach their full potential due to those aforementioned injuries.
Even so, they have done better without Fultz than he has done without the Sixers. Fultz had a few good seasons with the Magic, but was never the star that many expected he’d be, and when his contract was up, he didn’t have any offers until the Sacramento Kings swooped in late last summer.
Markelle Fultz may be out of the NBA for good
One year later, and Fultz is in the same spot, waiting for his phone to ring, hoping to resume his NBA career. Ironically, so is Simmons.
It could be a depressing end to two players’ careers that once seemed so promising. Had even one of them had a long and strong career with the Sixers, the team might have won a championship by now. Instead, both flamed out, and Philly was forced to pivot and did so relatively well.
The Sixers turning Fultz into Maxey and Simmons into James Harden underscores that they have one of the best front offices in the NBA. Nevertheless, their future remains tied to Embiid, the last remnant of the Process 76ers.
