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The Sacramento Kings are trying to make a push towards the playoffs as the All-Star break approaches, and they are making some moves to add reinforcements just after the trade deadline. On Wednesday night, the Kings agreed to a deal with former No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz, according to Shams Charania of ESPN.
Fultz was highly coveted coming out of Washington but didn't pan out as a star in the NBA. He has still been a productive player in the league with the Orlando Magic after injuries cut his stint with the Philadelphia 76ers short. Over the last two seasons in Orlando, Fultz made 103 appearances and 78 starts. He averaged 14 points per game during the 2022-23 season but has been a free agent and not played this season.
The Kings were in desperate need of point guard help after trading De'Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs at the trade deadline. However, Sacramento is still in eighth place in the Western Conference and can make a run at the postseason.
Fultz should immediately step into the rotation for Sacramento, who is currently playing a full rotation that does not have a true point guard. Malik Monk has assumed the de-facto point guard duties in the starting lineup, and Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan handle the ball-handling duties when Monk is on the bench. Having a true table setter on the court will make life much easier for the Kings as they try to string some wins together down the stretch.
If the Kings can get hot, they even have a chance to avoid the play-in tournament when the season ends. Sacramento is currently just two games behind the Los Angeles Clippers for the No. 6 spot in the West, so the Kings are within striking distance. Nobody would have predicted this kind of success for the Kings after they fired head coach Mike Brown earlier in the season, but they are starting to play their best basketball at the right time, and Fultz should only help with that.