Philadelphia 76ers: Markelle Fultz pulls no interest from Phoenix Suns
If the Philadelphia 76ers decide to trade the first overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft, the Phoenix Suns won’t be one of the teams interested in the guard.
After it was made clear that Philadelphia 76ers guard Markelle Fultz has been dealing with nerve issues within his shoulder and neck, the playmaker has been doing physical therapy to correct the problem. Whenever Fultz is ready to go, it might be difficult for him to have a clear defined role in the club moving forward.
The trio of Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and Jimmy Butler appear to be the core of the franchise. With Fultz having big money on the books for next season, it could be in the best interest of the club to trade the guard. Personally, I don’t think the club should try to trade Fultz, but if they do explore the trade market for the former first overall pick, the Phoenix Suns won’t be among the teams interested in his services, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7.
There have been a lot of people asking about a trade for Markelle Fultz. I will reiterate that I do not see it. From what I am hearing the Suns have no interest in Fultz, no desire to take on him and any issues he has.
— John Gambadoro (@Gambo987) December 11, 2018
Surely, there will be some rebuilding team interested in Fultz services down the road, but as it appears right now, the Suns don’t seem interested. This is surprising to say the least considering how much Phoenix needs one. The Suns have been relying on De’Anthony Melton, Elie Okobo, Jamal Crawford and shooting guard Devin Booker to man the point guard position this season. Melton and Okobo are rookies, while Crawford is more than likely in his last season in the NBA.
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Having Booker play out of position has had the best results for the Suns, but still isn’t the long term answer the club needs. Fultz could be that answer, yet the Suns front office led by James Jones, appears to not even want to explore that option at the moment.
There are plenty of ways for the Sixers to send Fultz to Phoenix. The Sixer Sense’s Co-Site Expert Christopher Kline suggested that Fultz could be involved in a three-team trade that would land the Sixers Kentavious Caldwell-Pope from the Los Angeles Lakers. Rusty Gorelick of The Sixer Sense wrote about swapping Fultz for Josh Jackson in the past as well. Regardless, of which is the better deal, Sixers have multiple ways of trading Fultz to the Suns.
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It’s unclear why the Suns don’t have interest in Fultz at the present moment, but if the Philadelphia 76ers do decide to move on from the second year guard, it will be difficult to include him in a deal to Phoenix. While the Sixers shouldn’t be in a rush to trade Fultz, it’s surprising that a point guard needy team like the Suns aren’t interested in the former number one overall pick.