NEW YORK _ The inevitable was made official Thursday night when the 76ers selected Markelle Fultz with the first pick of the NBA draft.
There wasn't any suspense in selecting Fultz. The Sixers had their sights set on drafting him for some time. And it became a foregone conclusion that they would draft the Washington point guard after moving up two spots in a trade Monday with the Boston Celtics.
But the lack of suspense didn't take away the excitement of Fultz becoming the Sixers' second first overall pick in as many seasons. Ben Simmons, who missed his entire rookie season, went first last season. The Cavaliers were the last team to have consecutive No. 1 picks, in 2013 and 2014.
For Fultz, this was definitely a milestone moment.
He became the first player with ties to Prince George's County, Md., to be selected first overall in an NBA draft. The 19-year-old also became the 23rd graduate of DeMatha Catholic High to be drafted.
The Sixers gave away a future first-round pick to make sure they got the most complete player in the draft. Fultz is also the best option to pair with Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid.
The Celtics sent that pick to the Sixers for the No. 3 pick and the protected Los Angeles Lakers' first-rounder in 2018, which the Sixers owned. The Celtics will get the pick if it falls in slots 2-5 in next year's NBA draft lottery. If it does not, Boston will receive either the Sacramento Kings' or the Sixers' first-round pick in 2019. The Celtics would take whichever one is more favorable. But if either of those picks becomes the first overall, the Celtics will receive the other pick.
Fultz can play on or off the ball and has 3-point range.
The 19-year-old made 41.3 percent of his shots from the college 3-point line. Finding a shooter with his 3-point shooting skill and the ability to play off the ball was a priority for the Sixers. Fultz said Wednesday that he plans to play for the Sixers' summer-league teams.
