Report: Fultz practiced after directed by agent to stay off court

The Markelle Fultz saga continues to grow stranger by the hour.

It was reported Tuesday morning by The Athletic's David Aldridge that the Philadelphia 76ers guard was directed by his attorney and agent, Raymond Brothers, to seek a second opinion for his shoulder by a specialist and not participate in any practices or games until that evaluation occurred.

However, shortly after that report, Fultz still participated in an informal shootaround with his teammates Tuesday, league sources told The Philly Inquirer's Keith Pompey.

The 20-year-old logged a season-low 7:05 of playing time on Monday against the Phoenix Suns. After the game, 76ers head coach Brett Brown was non-committal over whether Fultz would continue to be the second-string point guard or if T.J. McConnell had overtaken him on the depth chart.

Upon hearing Tuesday's news, Brown seemed to indicate Fultz's health had not played a role in his limited playing time against the Suns.

"It's kind of the first real red-flag-type news," Brown said in response to Fultz needing a second opinion on his shoulder, according to Pompey. "I mean, I played him 20-something minutes four days ago and I thought he played OK. In fact, I thought he did well. I think he's having a good year."

"This news about his shoulder, it did catch me off guard," Brown continued. "But if it's that real that he needs to go seek further consultation, then we support him. In my eyes, it's not complicated. If that's what it is, then we'll support him."

General manager Elton Brand echoed Brown's sentiment of support and also seemed surprised Fultz had a significant issue with his shoulder.

"We thought it was the regular bumps and bruises. Going to China (during the preseason), having the most back-to-backs in the league, playing an aggressive schedule," Brand said. "You ask him and he says, on record, publicly - we didn't push him and say, 'You have to say this,' no - he says he feels good. There's nothing that we saw medically that didn't allow him to play."