Make that two Martins on board for the 2024-25 Sixers.
KJ Martin has agreed to a two-year, $16 million contract to return to the Sixers, a source confirmed Friday night to NBC Sports Philadelphia. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski first reported the news.
Martin will rejoin a team that features several new faces, including Caleb Martin, Paul George, Andre Drummond, Jared McCain and Eric Gordon.
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Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, Kelly Oubre Jr., Kyle Lowry and Ricky Council IV will be familiar teammates from last season.
Acquired from the Clippers as part of the deal that sent James Harden to Los Angeles, Martin appeared in 58 games as a Sixer during the 2023-24 season. He averaged 3.7 points and 2.2 rebounds in 12.3 minutes per contest. Though the 23-year-old was generally outside or on the fringes of head coach Nick Nurse’s rotation, he flashed ability as both a physical, highly athletic forward and nimble small-ball center option.
“He’s got a unique skill set — underneath the basket, cutting,” Nurse said in February. “He’s obviously a guy we can throw a lob to. We can play some screen-and-roll with him as well as a roller. Because of his athleticism, he can offensive rebound a bit.
“Pretty versatile on defense, too. He can guard a lot of different positions. He’s got great strength and athleticism. He’s kind of a utility guy on offense, depending on who else is out there. But defensively, he’s pretty versatile.”
NBA
Since the Sixers had Martin’s Bird rights, they were able to re-sign him for substantially more than a veteran minimum’s salary. They’ll be limited to minimum contracts with subsequent free-agent signings. Martin’s salary of around $8 million this year could theoretically be useful when the Sixers explore potential moves near the trade deadline.
After a season that he described as a “roller coaster,” Martin will hope to prove he’s worthy of rotation minutes under Nurse.
“Obviously it’s irritating not playing, because I’m just so used to it and I know I can help,” he said at his exit interview. “But at the same time, there’s only so much you can control. I have teammates who are out there busting their ass every day, so the least I can do is go out there and support them as much as I can through the whole process.
“And the games I did play, I impacted the game as much as I could. Whatever opportunity I did have this season, I feel like I (played) to the best of my ability, did my job, and just really supported my teammates.”