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When the Philadelphia 76ers re-signed KJ Martin in the summer of 2024, it was effectively to serve as a human trade chip.
Sure, he saw the court and actually played pretty well for Nick Nurse's squad before suffering a foot injury back in December that has kept him out of action since. But ahead of the trade deadline, Daryl Morey sent Martin and two second-round picks to Detroit in what will amount to a salary dump.
According to Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice, the picks are the Milwaukee Bucks' 2027 second-rounder and the Dallas Mavericks' 2031 second-rounder. Given both of those teams' shaky trades, those picks could be pretty valuable.
The Sixers are trading KJ Martin along with two second-round picks — Milwaukee's in 2027 and Dallas' in 2031 — to the Detroit Pistons, league source tells @thephillyvoice.
— Adam Aaronson (@SixersAdam) February 5, 2025
Initially drafted in the second round of the 2020 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets via a pick originally owned by the Sacramento Kings, Martin played three seasons in H-Town before landing in Los Angeles as a member of the Clippers. From there, he appeared in two games before being traded to the 76ers, where he re-signed over the summer.
In 2024-25, Martin proved that he could be a plucky reserve forward coming off the bench for a good team, with his 6.4 points and 4.1 shots per game over 20 minutes of action making him an interesting option for teams looking to add some energy to their bench. While his stats never reached his high water mark in Houston from 2022-23, when Martin averaged 12.7 points in 28 minutes of action, his performances clearly inspired the Pistons to bring him in along with draft compensation.
And as for the 76ers? Well, after acquiring Quentin Grimes and a second-round pick from the Dallas Mavericks in a trade that shipped Caleb Martin out of town, they have now an extra roster spot and have avoided the luxury tax ahead of Thursday's 2025 NBA Trade Deadline. More moves could be on the way in Philadelphia.
