The Clippers have agreed to trade for Rockets forward Kenyon Martin Jr., according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link), who reports that Houston will receive two second-round picks in the deal.
The two second-rounders will be the Clippers’ own 2026 pick and the Grizzlies’ 2027 pick, tweets Andrew Greif of The Los Angeles Times.
The Clippers have a $2,134,843 trade exception they can use to absorb Martin’s salary.
Martin spent three years in Houston after being acquired from the Kings, who selected him with the 52nd pick in the 2020 draft. He served as a valuable bench player for most of his time with the rebuilding Rockets, but became a full-time starter by the end of last season. He posted career highs with 12.7 points and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 56.9% from the field.
Martin is also an electrifying leaper who frequently posted highlight-worthy slams. He participated in this year’s Slam Dunk Contest, but didn’t get past the preliminary round.
The 22-year-old forward will get his first experience on a contender in L.A. He’ll provide additional depth behind Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, who both have a long history of battling injuries.
On Thursday, the Rockets picked up Martin’s $1.93MM option for 2023/24, so he’s set to be unrestricted free agent next summer. He will become eligible to sign a four-year extension worth up to $75MM six months after the trade is finalized.
Figured he would soon go. With all we have coming in.
Kenyon Martin Jr. is a great pickup!!!!!!!!!!!! He needs to be the starting Power Forward for the Los Angeles Clippers. With Kawhi Leonard Small Forward Paul George Shooting Guard and Russell Westbrook Point Guard.
I’m hearing Ivica Zubac can possibly be traded but either him or Mason Plumlee if they can sign him back will be solid!!!
Not a bad shout KJ is a good corner shooter and can dunk on anyone on the cut. A good pick up for Clippers. But very sad to see him go.
Didn’t you just quit on the rockets over on CF? Then you made a thread right after that complaining about the starting lineup now you’re commenting over here?? Someone just needs to be loved, it’s okay buddy the world isn’t ending just take a step off the edge
Woah
Martin salary is only $2 mm
Rockets are trying to get rid of young players
Watch out: Green and Smith
Something is never in the news or rumors
Rich Paul has requested 76ers to trade away Maxey
This is just what I feel
Are you GD stupid? There is no way they are trading Smith and Green.
They definitely moving on from Kevin Porter Jr ! He’s one of the poster boys for players who have counting stats that don’t actually help the team! My team has one un norman Powell he puts up a lot of points and the team gets wrecked when he is on the floor! Same thing with Kevin Porter
Only mean one thing, Lopez is signing with Houston soon
He went back to the Bucks already
Maybe he means George Lopez.
Verbally agreed at this point. No deal can become official yet but the odds of Brook backing out of that deal is probably less than 1%
Robin
Setting up a Marcus Morris deal?
Cant say I fully understand what Hou is doing but Id guess Udoka and a few new fresh faces in the front office have decided a house cleaning was in order
Also a precedent set forth its time for the losing to stop. Perhaps their internal intel led them to belive these self selected youngins were not winning players, if so I could buy that soft drink
Future tankers should yield notice here, these are the pitfalls to accepting losing
Don’t understand the cap usage tho, Id think with clearing up these spots you’d want to couple that with being able to exploit a pretty exploitable market today. Seems SAS is sleeping in this weekend. That didn’t coincide for Hou
Dont approve of the price points on any of FVV Jock or Brooks. Am a Udoka fan tho, that’s most likely the best signing this org could make
FVV 3rd year is a team option, Jock only his 1st year is guaranteed. Brooks well sure it’s an overpay but he keeps his mouth shut (big if) and just plays that hard nose defense it’s worth it.
Plus Brooks’ contract decreases in salary each year.
They were doing so well, this one makes no sense, at least not for now
Martin was looking for a new contract. Sure he has high flying dunks but he plays no defense so he had to go. Plus cam whitmore makes him expandable
You’d think being expandable would give him more value.
SMH not a bad player for that low of wages. Surprised Houston didn’t flip him in the Mills trade. Nets should have went after him.
Rockets fixed the glut of guards, and no SF problems they had last season.
See if this works. Gotta be better than last year, they filled a lot of holes with VanVleet.
Cheap …. this is a steal for Clippers. Nets are fools. They should have signed him. His father was a star for Nets.
Agreed. Great deal for the Clippers. Only $1.93 for KJ Martin. Martin is a young veteran now.