Forward Kenyon Martin Jr. is signing a two-year deal to return to the 76ers, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski ( Twitter link ). Martin is set to earn a maximum of $16M over the two years of the deal.
While Martin’s production with the Sixers has been modest — 3.7 points per game in 58 appearances — re-signing on such a contract allows the team to maintain trade flexibility. Philadelphia originally acquired Martin as part of the trade that sent James Harden to the Clippers early in the 2023-24 season.
Martin didn’t play much for either the Sixers or the Clippers, but he was impressive early in his career with the Rockets. The No. 52 pick in 2020 by the Rockets, Martin averaged 10.
5 points and 4.8 rebounds across 206 games in the first three seasons of his career. Still just 23, Martin can serve as a deep reserve option at the forward position for the Sixers or be used as a trade piece when he becomes eligible in January.
As cap expert Yossi Gozlan observes ( Twitter link ), the Sixers will be over the first apron after they fill out their roster and will not be able to take in more salary than they send out. However, Philadelphia could package Martin’s deal with others to acquire another player making less at the deadline. Alternatively, he could be traded into a team’s cap space and allow the Sixers to duck the luxury tax.
HoopsRumors wrote previously that such a move was a likely outcome after the Sixers renounced most of their free-agent rights except for Martin’s earlier this week. In 266 career appearances with the Rockets, Clippers and Sixers, Martin holds career averages of 8.9 points and 4.
2 rebounds. This article first appeared on Hoops Rumors and was syndicated with permission..
