Orlando Magic excited to bring in Markelle Fultz, but willing to wait for him

The Orlando Magic got their guy at the trade deadline, acquiring Markelle Futlz. But they are in no rush to bring him back from injury.

Twitter was alight with excitement when the news came down about 15 minutes before the NBA’s three o’clock trade deadline.

The Orlando Magic would acquire former first overall pick Markelle Fultz from the Philadelphia 76ers without giving up any rotation players or major long-term assets.

Even for a team experiencing its most (if limited) success in the past six years, there was a renewed sense of excitement and hope.

The team had a player many felt was a future All-Star in their fold. If everything broke right, the Magic had that top selection they had been waiting for to tie the whole thing together.

When Markelle Fultz is at his best, he is a scorer who can drive the lane and create his own shot. But he is also a gifted finisher and dynamic, athletic defender.

Orlando jumped at the chance it seemed to make this acquisition and move forward down this path.

"“He was the number one pick in the draft,” president of basketball operations Jeff Weltman said. “So his ceiling is exceptionally high. I think that he is a 20-year-old player with tremendous potential. I feel confident in saying the league looks at him that way and not just us.”"

Fultz has that potential. As Weltman would later say, pretty much every team had Markelle Fultz as the top pick in a 2017 Draft that included Jayson Tatum, De’Aaron Fox and Donovan Mitchell.

For good reason. He averaged 23.2 points, 5.9 rebounds and 5.7 assists per game on a 53.5 percent effective field goal percentage in his lone year with the Washington Huskies. He was a great shot maker and driver who could finish assertively at the rim.

But there are still plenty of questions about Fultz. There was so much potential in Fultz and it was only a strange shoulder injury — later diagnosed as a nerve issue — that seemed to put him behind that potential.

In two seasons, Fultz has played just 33 games and is averaging a very meager 3.9 points per game.

Weltman said in those games you can see flashes of what Fultz might become. But he did not have the time to get into a good rhythm.

He is now recovering from his diagnosis of thoracic outlet syndrome, a nerve condition affecting the neck and shoulder. That injury severely affected his shot, creating memes of his poor free throw stroke. His confidence was certainly low and it did not appear the 76ers handled the diagnosis or treatment for Fultz well.

There is no timetable for his return. And the important part for the Magic in building a relationship with their new acquisition is to ensure he has all the time he needs to get back to full health and has all the tools to return to the court.

"“We’re going to do it right, we’re not going to do it fast,” Weltman said. “I think that there is a quirky alignment with Markelle’s journey and ours where I would apply that directly to him. We look forward to getting him in here, getting our arms around him, understanding everything that he is dealing with and getting him through that. It’s our job organizationally to put him in a position to succeed. However long that takes, that’s how long it will take.”"

It was clear the 76ers needed to move on from Fultz and give him a fresh start somewhere.

The Magic hope that he can rediscover that talent and that potential in Orlando. They are going to remain patient and work incrementally to get him there.

One of Markelle Fultz’s former teammates in Dario Saric said after the Orlando Magic’s 122-112 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves that Fultz needed a fresh start and he could not mesh well with the super talented Philadelphia 76ers squad. Fultz needed the ball in his hands and that is not something Philadelphia could afford him.

Saric predicted Orlando would be a good situation for Fultz and the sky is still the limit for him.

For a Magic team hungry for a potential star — having gone through the Lottery ringer without a ping pong ball victory — this is as close as they have gotten. They can finally sell some hope.

There is excitement to add a player of his talent and potential. The Magic certainly targeted him in a trade because of their need at point guard and their need for a shot-creating perimeter player.

His new teammates are intrigued to meet him and get to know him just as much as the coaching staff is to start working with him.

"“We’re going to see,” Terrence Ross said. “I don’t know if he is going to play or anything. But he’s the number one pick. So, of course, you are willing to take a chance on that. Hopefully, he can come in and help us if not this year then next year. Any time you get the number one pick, that’s a big deal.”"

The first step is to get to know him both for the organization and the team. Aaron Gordon said he was extremely excited to talk to him and try to help him regain the form that made him the top overall pick. Aaron Gordon said he felt Markelle Fultz just had to come here and play his game to find success.

The next step will be finding a way to get him comfortable and healthy and then the team will be able to get him on the floor and see what he can do. How long that process will take is anyone’s guess.

There is no doubting the potential he has. There is no doubting Fultz has a lot of what NBA teams are looking for from lead guards. And he probably has exactly what the Magic need.

The question is whether he can put it all together.

The Magic got their guy at the trade deadline. it is hard to call it anything but a success for the team. If anything, it has created new interest and excitement for the team as the Magic successfully added a long-term piece to the team without sacrificing any of the team’s short-term gains.

"“He’s thrilled to be a part of the Magic and looking forward to getting out here and starting his journey with our team,” Weltman said. “Obviously, he has dealt with a lot and I think he is looking at this as a fresh start. I think he is really excited about it.”"

Now they just have to get him in here and let him develop and play.