Markelle Fultz is back in the NBA.
After nobody picked him up as a free agent following last season with the Orlando Magic, Fultz has been signed by the Sacramento Kings, who will look to the former No. 1 overall pick to help fill some of the point guard void left behind by the trade of De’Aaron Fox to the San Antonio Spurs.
Fultz, 26, spent five-plus seasons in Orlando, where he resurrected his career, relatively speaking, after his well-chronicled fallout with the Philadelphia 76ers. He was the starting point guard for the Magic for a couple seasons and signed a $50M contract that ran out this past summer.
Fultz, who averaged just under 14 points, six assists and four rebounds while dealing with an array of injuries in Orlando last season, is not even close to a suitable replacement for Fox. But the Kings, who run a lot of high-post offense through Domantis Sabonis, are now trying to create by committee with Malik Monk, Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan and now Fultz.
Fultz is athletic and can be forceful with the ball as a downhill driver and midrange scorer. He has really good footwork and is an instinctive passer when he gets into the paint. He’s long and he can defend.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Fultz drew interest from multiple teams before settling on Sacramento, likely because of the positional need and the opportunity that should be present for him to get some real playing time. Fultz will help the Kings try to make the playoffs while he hopes to earn himself another contract with someone moving forward.
