76ers Rumors: Philly Talked Trading Markelle Fultz to Get Michael Porter Jr.

The Philadelphia 76ers were reportedly so intrigued by Michael Porter Jr. at one point that they considered dealing last year's No. 1 overall pick in a package to move up in the 2018 NBA draft. 

Per The Athletic's Michael Scotto, the Sixers discussed a package built around Markelle Fultz and their two first-round draft picks in an effort to land Porter:

"The Philadelphia 76ers had internal discussions about packaging the No. 10 and 26 picks, along with former No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz, to move into the top five, league sources told The Athletic. The target was Porter during these discussions. However, that thinking dampened with Porter's back remaining a major question mark. If JJ Redick leaves in free agency, Fultz is the favorite to start at shooting guard."

The Sixers traded up two spots last year to select Fultz with the top pick. He had a difficult rookie season due to a shoulder injury that limited him to only 14 regular-season games. 

When Fultz was able to play, he averaged 7.1 points and 3.8 assists per game. The 20-year-old shot an underwhelming 40.5 percent from the field and attempted only one three-pointer. 

Prior to committing to Missouri, Porter was one of the most hyped high school recruits in the country last year. He was ranked as the No. 2 player in the 2017 class, per 247Sports. 

Two minutes into his first college game against Iowa State, Porter injured his back, which led to him undergoing a microdiscectomy of his L3-L4 spinal discs. He returned for the Tigers' last two games and posted a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds in 28 minutes against Florida State in the NCAA tournament. 

The 76ers are coming off a terrific 2017-18 season in which they went 52-30 and made the playoffs for the first time in six years. They have an outstanding young nucleus led by Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons, and they are spending this offseason exploring ways to continue their ascent in the Eastern Conference.