The Philadelphia 76ers are not quite ready to move on from point guard Markelle Fultz before Thursday's trade deadline, according to Sean Deveney of Sporting News.
Fultz has been sitting out indefinitely rehabilitating his shooting shoulder, which was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome. He has played only 19 games this season, averaging 8.2 points on 41.9 percent shooting and 28.6 percent from deep.
The No. 1 overall pick of the 2017 NBA Draft has not played since Nov. 19. According to Deveney, the Sixers are not quite ready to move on from Fultz “given the investment the franchise made into him, the utter cratering of his trade value and the fact that he’s only 20 years old and still has a chance to be productive.”
Furthermore, Fultz's trade value has never been the same since the Boston Celtics traded their would-be first overall selection to the Sixers for two first-rounders, swapping the first pick for the third, which later became Jayson Tatum.
The complications of his injury present an issue to most teams that are somewhat unaware of what could take place if they pull the trigger on a trade and it becomes a point of no return.
Philadelphia is unlikely to get the return desired for its former top pick, therefore making them hesitant to flip him without ensuring his value has gone up significantly before greasing the wheels on a deal.
The Sixers will be active on the trade market, but they likely won't trade Fultz unless they can bundle him along with other players, as he doesn't hold the desired league-wide value as a standalone piece.
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