Season ending early for Fultz
Orlando Magic point guard Markelle Fultz had surgery Wednesday to repair the torn ACL in his left knee.
Fultz sustained the injury during the first quarter of the team’s 105-94 win Jan. 6 against the Cavaliers at Amway Center. The Magic expected Fultz to miss the rest of the season and confirmed in a press release that he will.
The surgery was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache.
The Magic are also playing this season without young core piece Jonathan Isaac, who suffered a torn ACL during the NBA restart last season.
The team was granted a disabled player exception for Isaac’s injury and has applied for one to replace Fultz. His surgical procedure likely will speed up the application process.
The DPEs will be worth close to $6.14 million for Fultz and $3.7 million for Isaac.
The deadline to utilize a DPE this season is April 19.
Teams don’t receive an extra roster spot with the exception, but it allows for a player to be added without using cap space. Still, the options are limited.
Teams can sign a free agent, claim a player off waivers or acquire a player in a trade, but the DPE can only be used on one player and can only accommodate a player on a one-year deal. Any trade or waiver target must be in the last year of his contract.
Orlando had two DPEs last season (for Isaac and Al-Farouq Aminu) but did not use them.
Fultz’s early-season play was a big reason why the Magic started with four straight wins and were 5-2. In the seven games before he was hurt, the team averaged 110.7 points a game. In the seven games since, the Magic are averaging 97.1 points.
Fultz was averaging 14.3 points and 6.1 assists before the injury.
Fultz remains upbeat despite the long recovery ahead. Of course, coming back from an injury is nothing new for Fultz. The No. 1 pick in the 2017 draft played just 33 games his first two seasons because of injuries, the most severe being a thoracic outlet syndrome issue in his right shoulder. Fultz worked his way back from that injury and appeared in 72 of Orlando’s 73 regular-season games last year.
“Of course it’s disappointing not being able to be out there with my teammates. That’s probably what hurts the most, not being able to be out there with them,” Fultz said last week. “I think with everything I’ve been through in life in general has prepared me for this moment.
“Even though I tore my ACL, just my spirits, like every day I wake up, I don’t feel bad. I’m very happy to get started with the next day.”
Fultz’s return next season will depend on how he responds to treatment and rehabilitation, according to the team. If the season were to begin in October, it’s likely Fultz would not be ready as major ACL injuries typically require about a year of rehabilitation work before a player returns.