Former No. 1 overall pick leaving the Magic?

After spending the last five years of his career with the Orlando Magic, guard Markelle Fultz is currently a free agent. And according to recent reports, it seems unlikely he will return to the franchise this summer. 

Per HoopsWire’s Sam Amico, it is “doubtful” that the Magic will bring Fultz back. Amico also mentions that a reunion is especially unlikely after the team added Kentavious Caldwell-Pope earlier this offseason.

Fultz began his career with the Philadelphia 76ers after the team drafted him with the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NBA Draft. However, after a disappointing two-season stint with the 76ers, the team traded Fultz to Orlando in February 2019. In five seasons with the Magic, Fultz appeared in 201 games, averaging 11.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game.

The 2022-23 season was Fultz’s best as an pro. Fultz averaged 14 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game. Additionally, he shot 51.4 percent from the field and 31 percent from beyond the arc. All these numbers were career highs for Fultz. However, last season was a disappointment for the Maryland native, as he averaged 7.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game.

Fultz has not lived up to his draft stock and likely never will. Still, he has shown throughout his Magic tenure that he can contribute to a team in the league. Fultz is a very athletic guard who can impact the game on both sides of the court. He may never become a consistently great three-point shooter, but he can still provide enough scoring to negate this. It is currently unknown what teams may have interest in signing the 26-year-old. However, any team looking for guard depth should look Fultz’s way this summer.