Markelle Fultz Has Bad Wrist, May Prefer Trade

6:20pm: Fultz’s agent is denying that his client is seeking a trade, tweets ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. “I have given no indication to [Sixers GM] Elton Brand or anyone else that Markelle would prefer to be traded,” Brothers said. “My focus is to get Markelle healthy. End of story.”

5:52pm: Sixers guard Markelle Fultz is being treated for a wrist problem as well as his right shoulder issue and would prefer to resume his career with another team, report Jared Weiss, Derek Bodner and Sam Amick of The Athletic.

The injury has affected Fultz’s ability to hold onto the ball while shooting. Specialists have been working to increase his strength in the wrist.

The problems with the wrist and shoulder vary in severity from day to day, according to the Athletic writers, which is why his shot is more effective in some games than in others. The dual injuries have prompted changes in Fultz’s shooting motion, but he has continued to struggle from the field (.419) and the foul line (.568) during his second season in the NBA.

As we noted yesterday, Fultz and his agent, Raymond Brothers, made an appointment with a specialist in New York for Monday. Fultz will have his shoulder and wrist examined and will not return to the lineup until after that visit.

Fultz reportedly still experiences pain when lifting the ball above his chest to shoot, although the Sixers say they don’t know of any physical problem that would prevent him from being medically cleared to play.

The writers trace the history of Fultz’s physical difficulties to his lone season at Washington, where he suffered right knee soreness and opted for having the knee scoped instead of meniscus surgery. As he recovered, he worked to change the trajectory on his shot to make it more effective from the NBA 3-point line. However, it was noticeably off in his first workout with the Celtics, which prompted the team to trade its No. 1 pick to Philadelphia.

Fultz has been wearing a specialized undershirt to help stabilize the shoulder area, but any progress is on hold until after he sees the specialist next week.

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