The Philadelphia 76ers have, for the second day in a row, traded away a player named Martin. This time, it’s KJ Martin who is heading to join the Detroit Pistons. Martin, who had been a consistent role player for the Sixers this season prior to his injury, was held out less than an hour before the Sixers’ Tuesday night win against the Dallas Mavericks. At the time, it was known that a deal was pending, but it was not completed until this morning. Hours later, the details were announced. Martin will be sent to Detroit alongside the two second-round picks: The Milwaukee Bucks‘ second-round pick in 2027 and the Dallas Mavericks’s second-rounder in 2031.
This marks the end of K.J. Martin’s short career with the Philadelphia 76ers. Martin played in exactly 82 games for the Sixers, including starting seven out of the 24 games he appeared in this season. In those 24 games, Martin averaged 6.4 points and 3.0 rebounds a night while shooting 61.6% from the field and 38.1% from three. His improved three-point shooting and his high-energy play had turned Martin into a mainstay of the rotation early in the season before he suffered a left foot stress reaction.
Martin initially came over to the 76ers as part of the James Harden trade and was the last remaining player on the Sixers from that deal. This past offseason, Martin signed a two-year, $16 million deal with Philadelphia, with no money guaranteed in the second year. Functionally, this gave the Sixers freedom to use his salary to match in a trade, should they make a move on a different player. However, this experiment appears to be a failure as not only are the Sixers not getting anyone back in this deal, but they also had to attach draft capital to move a productive player who is functionally on an expiring deal.
Philadelphia made this deal to avoid the luxury tax, which they are now just below by $1.4 million. This trade also gives the Sixers two open roster spots, leaving room for players on the buyout market and, if the Sixers want, to sign an undrafted rookie who has been proving himself on a nightly basis to a standard NBA contract.
Thanks to this trade, the Sixers will be able to sign any player bought out this season, regardless of their previous salary. This also increases the chances of the Sixers re-signing Guerschon Yabuslele this offseason. While Martin will surely be missed, if the Sixers can keep Yabu around long-term, the deal will be worth it in the long run.
