NBA Trade Rumors: Sixers Owners Split On Markelle Fultz's Future

As speculation over Markelle Fultz's future continues, the latest is that the owners of the Philadelphia 76ers are reportedly split on whether they should trade him or not.

Fultz has struggled with his shooting this season and it's no secret that with the massive media attention on him, he could do with a change of scenery.

A number of teams have shown their interest in recent weeks from the Cleveland Cavaliers, Phoenix Suns, and most recently, the Detroit Pistons along with the Orlando Magic.

The decision on what to do with the 20-year-old, though, ultimately lies with the Philadelphia front office.

"The Sixers need to cut their losses and move past, what has become a major distraction during a successful season," Keith Pompey of Philly.com wrote. "But the team is in no rush to trade Fultz."

"A lot of that has to do with his dwindling trade value combined with the ownership group’s philosophy of not giving up assets for zilch. The ownership group also isn’t in total agreement with what do with Fultz, according to league sources."

The problem is, Fultz was selected as the No. 1 overall pick in last year's draft, and if he were to develop and perform better elsewhere, Philadelphia's front office would look bad.

There is talent in the former University of Washington guard but the problem is on the mental side, and according to Pompey, the Sixers would rather have him struggle with them than become a star for another team.

However, they would consider a trade if it is a substantial offer.

"A league source said the Sixers don’t want to part ways with Fultz unless a first-round pick is packaged in a deal for him. And they’re not talking about a late first-rounder, either," Pompey added.

"League executives believe the Sixers will settle for less as it gets closer to the Feb. 7 trade deadline, because there really isn’t a trade market for Fultz right now. There’s too much skepticism surrounding his shooting woes and his shoulder issues."

It would be better for Fultz to be traded sooner rather than later, especially in exchange for a player in the final year of his contract, as the $9.7 million he would be earning next season would be off the books, allowing the Sixers to re-sign Jimmy Butler as well as another top free agent.

If Philadelphia wait too long though, the trade market could dry up and they'll either have to accept a less favorable trade or be stuck with his salary going into the summer which will be hard to shed.

Fultz has not played since Nov. 19 and was recently diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome and is currently undergoing physical therapy. He has averaged 8.2 points from 41.9 percent field goal shooting over 19 games this season.