Philadelphia 76ers: Markelle Fultz on the move to a “fresh start”?

Just one day after taking a leave of absence from the Philadelphia 76ers, Markelle Fultz is now open to a “fresh start” elsewhere.

On Tuesday morning, reports surfaced that Philadelphia 76ers guard Markelle Fultz was advised from his agent to take a leave of absence from the team. It was announced on Tuesday that Fultz would take some time off and see a shoulder specialist in New York.

Following that announcement, I took a deep dive into the whole Fultz saga; breaking down what is going on and what led to Tuesday’s developments. You can read that piece here.

After Tuesday’s report surfaced, everyone knew that we were in for another rollercoaster ride with Fultz, similar to what was experienced last season. It was only going to be a matter of time until something else came out.

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Even though he was said to be leaving the team, for the time being, it was reported that Fultz was involved with Sixers’ practice yesterday and that he would be present for Wednesday night’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans, but would not play.

Just before the tip of Wednesday night’s game against New Orleans, another report surfaced about Fultz, making this situation all that murkier.

According to The Athletic, Fultz has been dealing with a wrist injury; which the article reported is in addition to the shoulder injury. If true, it would be another development into why Fultz has struggled with his shooting.

Also included in that report is that sources close to Fultz say that the 20-year old would prefer to be moved and that a change of scenery would be best for the University of Washington product.

This is another obscure development in the never-ending saga surrounding Fultz. The Sixers apparently never knew about the shoulder issue still bugging Fultz, and now this wrist injury has come out of left field.

There are just so many unanswered questions that are leaving fans and reporters in a conundrum. How does a professional basketball team not know about not one, but two injuries ailing one of their young stars? Fultz isn’t some fringe roster player hiding an injury to make the team; he is a number one pick that the Sixers invested a lot in.

The other part of this story is that Fultz is possibly asking to be moved, saying a change of scenery might be best for him. A player asking to be moved is a huge sign that there is something bothering Fultz mentally.

Following the release of The Athletic’s report, Fultz’s agent, Raymond Brothers told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski this:

"“I have given no indication to Elton Brand or anyone else that Markelle would prefer to be traded. My focus is to get Markelle healthy. End of story.”"

The Sixers and their fans are looking for some transparency in this whole Fultz situation, and this report just makes the outlook even foggier. Is it the shoulder, is it not the shoulder, is it the wrist, is it both the shoulder and the wrist? Nobody seems to know.

And why is Fultz asking for a change of scenery after playing only 33 games for the Sixers? This is a team that traded a lot to land him just 17-months ago. Is the pressure of playing on a winning team getting to him? Does he feel the pressure with the Sixers recent acquisition of Jimmy Butler?

For right now, the Sixers will be fine without Fultz. If he comes back better, great. If not, it shouldn’t negatively impact the Sixers. They are well on their way to competing for an Eastern Conference championship this spring.

Has Fultz played his final game for the Sixers? Will he join the likes of Greg Oden and Kwame Brown as number one picks to never live up to expectations. It will be a hard pill for the Sixers to swallow, but if it is not meant to be, then the Sixers are going to have to move forward with or without Fultz in their future plans.