Orlando Magic guard Markelle Fultz could make his season debut in Sunday’s home game vs. the Philadelphia 76ers at Amway Center (6 p.m., Bally Sports Florida/Bally Sports+/FM 96.9 The Game).
Fultz was upgraded to questionable on the team’s Saturday evening injury report after being sidelined for the season’s start, being listed as out for the first 19 games because of a fractured left big toe.
He fractured the toe in mid-September shortly before training camp started on Sept. 27.
Fultz is entering the second season of a 3-year, $50 million contract ($35 million guaranteed) he signed with the Magic in December 2020.
He has a $16.5 million salary for 2022-23 that’s fully guaranteed, while $2 million of his $17 million salary is guaranteed for the 2023-24 season. Next season’s salary will become fully guaranteed if he’s on the roster past July 1, 2023.
Fultz’s injury struggles have limited his playing time (131 games in five seasons) since being the No. 1 pick in the 2017 NBA draft.
He missed most of the last two seasons because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee that he suffered in January 2021, just eight games into the 2020-21 season.
After a 14-month absence, Fultz returned to the floor in a home win over the Indiana Pacers on Feb. 28 and averaged 10.8 points (47.4% shooting), 5.5 assists, 2.7 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 20 minutes (18 games).
This story will be updated.
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Khobi Price at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter at @khobi_price.
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