Markelle Fultz has taken quite the journey over his first three seasons in the NBA, as the former first overall pick of the Philadelphia 76ers suffered a bizarre shoulder injury that derailed his career before it started and he’s spent the last two-plus seasons working his way back to gaining both the form and confidence that made him such a highly touted prospect.
Fultz was dealt to Orlando two summers ago in a deal for Jonathan Simmons that was, effectively, just Philly trying to get rid of him, and with the Magic he’s rehabbed his shoulder back to full strength and last season emerged as one of the league’s best stories. He’s now firmly the starter in Orlando after averaging 12.1 points and 5.1 assists per game last season, and his progress has been good enough for the Magic to work out a new three-year, $50 million extension with him that will keep him in Orlando through 2024, as first broken by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Markelle Fultz has agreed to a three-year, $50 million extension with Orlando, his agent Raymond Brothers of @RocNationSports tells ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) December 21, 2020
The final year of the deal will be a team option, per The Athletic’s Josh Robbins.
The third year of Markelle Fultz's three-year extension with the Magic will be a team option, a source with knowledge of the situation told @TheAthleticNBA.
— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) December 21, 2020
It’s pretty tremendous that Fultz has been able to recoup that much value in such a short time and for the Magic it represents a strong investment in their belief that he can continue improving. Should he become the player Philly thought he could be when they drafted him first overall, this deal could be an absolute steal, but even if not, he seems on his way to being a solid starter in the league and at the point guard position, that’s worth this money.
