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Sixers sending KJ Martin, a pair of 2nd-round picks to Pistons

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The Sixers are sending KJ Martin to Detroit.

The team has agreed to ship Martin and two second-round picks — the Bucks’ 2027 selection and the Mavs’ 2031 selection — to the Pistons, a source confirmed Wednesday morning to NBC Sports Philadelphia.

The Philadelphia Inquirer's Keith Pompey first reported that Martin and two second-rounders were headed to Detroit. PhillyVoice’s Adam Aaronson first reported the specifics of the picks. 

On Thursday, Jake Fischer reported that Martin will end up moving from the Pistons to the Jazz.

Martin re-signed this past summer with the Sixers on a two-year, $16 million deal. The second season of the contract is non-guaranteed.

According to PHLY Sports’ Derek Bodner, trading away Martin means the Sixers will be able to sign players in the buyout market that make above the NBA’s average salary. It does not have other direct implications for this season or their spending ability in the offseason, since that second year of Martin's deal is non-guaranteed. 

Martin has been out since late December with an injury described as a “left foot stress reaction.” He'd been upgraded to questionable Tuesday before being pulled with a “trade pending” designation ahead of the Sixers’ win over the Mavs.

The 24-year-old forward averaged 6.4 points and 3.0 rebounds over 24 appearances this season. Martin was an easy-going, well-liked teammate during his Sixers tenure who provided plenty of athleticism and competitiveness on the court. 

“You want to go out and play as hard as you possibly can,” he said on Dec. 6. “Obviously, my dad played 15 years, and he always told me, ‘I don’t care how many points you score, I don’t care what you do. Each night, you just want to go out and play as hard as you can.’ That’s a big thing of mine, just going out and competing, being active. I feel like the ball just finds energy.” 

The Sixers traded the other Martin on their roster Tuesday, dealing Caleb Martin to Dallas and picking up Quentin Grimes.

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