The Philadelphia 76ers have agreed to re-sign KJ Martin to a two-year, $16 million contract. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski was first to report the signing.
Free agent forward KJ Martin has agreed on a two-year, $16 million deal to return to the Philadelphia 76ers, Aaron Mintz and Andrew Morrison of @caabasketball tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/mHOUEQJnAl
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 12, 2024
Martin was acquired by Philadelphia in the trade that sent James Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers earlier last season. His role fluctuated, playing just 12.3 minutes per game. In 58 contests as a member of the Sixers, Martin averaged 3.7 points and 2.2 rebounds while shooting 54.4% from the field.
The Sixers are not paying Martin roughly $8.0 million per season for his play on the court. The possibility of Philadelphia signing Martin to a “balloon” deal gained steam in recent weeks. The Sixers took advantage of possessing Martin’s Bird Rights, allowing them to go over the salary cap to re-sign him. Philadelphia essentially is paying Martin more than what he is worth in order to have his bloated salary available to match contracts in a potential trade further down the line.
Signing Martin puts the Sixers over the first luxury tax apron. According to the NBA’s new collective bargaining agreement, teams above the first tax apron will not be able to take back more salary than what they send out in a trade. If the Sixers were to trade Martin next season, they would be limited to taking back nothing more than his roughly $8.0 million salary. Aggregating multiple salaries in a single trade is also a possibility. According to Cap Sheets’ Yossi Gozlan, Martin will become trade eligible on Jan. 15.
If Philadelphia elects to hold onto Martin, he has the potential to be a useful rotation player. Martin provides toughness and athleticism at the forward position. The Sixers currently do not have any power forwards on their roster. Despite being just 6-foot-6, Martin can play minutes either as a power forward or a small-ball center. He showed some promise when given the opportunity last season. Over a 15-game span between January and February, the 23-year old averaged 6.7 points and 3.8 rebounds in 20.4 minutes per contest. Martin is raw around the edges, but there is reason to believe he can be a productive role player next season.
