Nets interested in acquiring athletic forward KJ Martin from Rockets
With the Brooklyn Nets finally having an answer on Kyrie Irving’s future, it is now time to look toward the rest of the roster. Searching out quality NBA vets is one option to go down but another is to trade for a young prospect and develop him into a key rotation piece.
KJ Martin is a perfect target to go after because of his reduced role on the Houston Rockets who have a load of young assets that they are now going to build around.
This leaves Martin in no man’s land and a change of scenery would be the best option for both sides. Martin would bring his hyper athleticism and strong cutting ability to a team desperate for role players. Martin is a bit of a risk though if Sean Marks has to pay too much for him. All of Martin’s stats went down from his first year except his FG%. The 21-year-old still has a lot to improve not excluding his iffy 3-point %.
Per Kelly Iko of The Athletic, the Nets are interested in acquiring the super athletic forward from the Rockets in a deal:
Teams, including the Portland Trail Blazers and Brooklyn Nets, also inquired about Kenyon Martin Jr. around the draft period. Houston likes Martin and believes he can still have a positive impact on the roster, but the Rockets understand the nature of the available minutes — or potential lack thereof now with an additional three players drafted — as well as the return of Usman Garuba. Should an adequate offer open up, Houston is open to finding a better fit for Martin elsewhere.
The tools are there for Martin Jr. and, of course, he has his father’s athleticism. His dad also, obviously, played for the then-New Jersey Nets, and if he puts in the work required, he could be a fantastic piece in the future. It might take some shrewd negotiation, but Martin could really help this team. Only time will tell if this comes to fruition.
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