The Philadelphia 76ers thought they had a dynasty in their hands.
Nearly a decade ago, Philadelphia was believed to be the up-and-coming team, boasting a young core headlined by Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons, and Markelle Fultz. Fast-forward eight years, and two-thirds of that budding tandem has decayed into irrelevancy.
76ers’ former first overall picks Simmons and Fultz are on the verge of falling out of the NBA. The once-thought franchise cornerstones are yet to sign with a new team heading into the 2025-26 season. Media day and training camp will unfold league-wide throughout the week while the duo remains an afterthought.
Inside Simmons’ downfall
The 76ers drafted Simmons with the first overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft as a consolation prize for winning 10 games in the season prior. Philadelphia envisioned him as a 1A-1B co-star alongside Embiid and someone who could lift its offense to new heights.
Simmons did just that in his first season as he was named Rookie of the Year for the 2017-18 campaign. He notched per-game averages of 15.8 points, 8.2 assists, and 8.1 rebounds. The 76ers posted 52 wins that year, which is a 24-win turnaround from the previous season that Simmons played a pivotal role in.
The LSU product received all-star honors in the following three seasons – emerging as one of the premier two-way players in the league. However, Simmons couldn’t maximize his ceiling as he never developed a jump-shot. Philadelphia eventually dealt him to the Brooklyn Nets on February 10th, 2022 essentially for James Harden.
Simmons spent 2022-25 with the Nets in a tenure where he was plagued by various back injuries. He played just 90 games in Brooklyn and never posted more than seven points per game. The Nets bought Simmons out on February 8th, but he signed a rest-of-the-season contract with the Los Angeles Clippers two days later.
He made 18 appearances for the Clippers and notched only 2.9 points per game. Simmons remains unsigned, despite receiving interest from the New York Knicks.
What happened to Fultz?
Philadelphia selected Fultz with the first overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft after trading up with the Boston Celtics – essentially passing up on Jayson Tatum. The 76ers believed Fultz would be a perfect back-court complement to Embiid and Simmons, but he never truly got the chance to.
Fultz played 33 games in his two seasons in Philadelphia as he infamously suffered from thoracic outlet syndrome, which devastated his shooting form. The 76ers practically salary-dumped him to the Orlando Magic on February 7th, 2019. Philadelphia happened to receive a first-round pick swap that became Tyrese Maxey the following year.
Fultz experienced a career revitalization of sorts in Orlando, but he wasn’t able to reach the expectations many had for him. Fultz spent five seasons with the Magic where he averaged 11.6 points per game and 4.8 assists per game. He became a rotational guard, but his place in Orlando’s rotation shrank as its rebuild yielded Cole Anthony, Jalen Suggs, and Anthony Black.
Fultz didn’t return to Orlando after his contract expired at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season. He signed a rest-of-the-season deal with the Sacramento Kings on February 12th. He played 21 games, but posted less than three points per game. Fultz remains a free agent without any reported interest.