Kings sign former No. 1 draft pick, adding point guard depth after De’Aaron Fox trade
The Sacramento Kings made a move to improve their depth at the point guard position Wednesday, signing former No. 1 overall draft pick Markelle Fultz for the remainder of the season.
The Kings announced the signing following a 119-111 victory over the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center. They have lacked depth at the point guard spot since acquiring Zach LaVine in a three-team trade that sent De’Aaron Fox and Jordan McLaughlin to the San Antonio Spurs.
The Kings have started Monk at point guard following the departure of Fox, his childhood friend and former Kentucky teammate. Monk will likely continue to start, but Fultz might have an opportunity to become the primary backup if he can stay healthy.
Fultz, 26, came out of Washington as the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NBA draft. He spent his first seven seasons of an injury plagued career with the Philadelphia 76ers and Orlando Magic, averaging 11.1 points, 3.4 rebounds, 4.6 assists and 1.2 steals in 234 games.
Fultz had his best season with Orlando in 2022-23. He appeared in 60 games, averaging career highs of 14.0 points, 3.9 rebounds and 5.7 assists while shooting a career best 51.4% from the field.
Fultz’s career was nearly derailed by a severe shoulder injury that was diagnosed as thoracic outlet syndrome, which affected nerves between the neck and shoulder. The injury resulted in abnormal functional movement and range of motion, hindering his ability to shoot a basketball.
Fultz eventually recovered and scored 26 points in Orlando’s 120-113 win over the Washington Wizards on Dec. 27, 2020. Ten days later, he tore his left ACL in a game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, forcing him to miss the rest of the season.
Fultz appeared in a total of 26 games over two seasons with Orlando from 2020-22. He was relatively healthy in 2022-23, but he was limited to 43 games due to injuries in 2023-24.
Fultz’s agent and attorney, Raymond Brothers of I AM Sports & Entertainment, told ESPN that Fultz is healthy and ready to play. Brothers said Fultz drew interest from multiple teams in recent months after rehabbing from injury in the offseason. He narrowed his choices to a couple of finalists before reaching an agreement with Sacramento.
This story was originally published February 12, 2025 at 9:38 PM.
