Why 76ers' next big move should be overpaying a role player you may never have heard of

KJ Martin could be crucial to Philadelphia's championship hopes next season

By Sam Quinn Jul 10, 2024 at 8:10 am ET• 12 min read

The Philadelphia 76ers set up a number of big moves when they sent James Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers in October. The most obvious consequence of the deal was creating the cap space that they would later use to not only sign superstar Paul George, but key role players like Kelly Oubre Jr., Caleb Martin and Andre Drummond. They picked up extra draft capital in the process, giving them significantly more flexibility to work with down the line. But they quietly accomplished something else in that deal that could prove enormously important when they acquired a player that many NBA fans may not have heard of.

Meet Kenyon Martin Jr. He is the son of former No. 1 overall pick Kenyon Martin. He participated in the 2023 Slam Dunk Contest. He started his career with the Houston Rockets, joined the Clippers ahead of the 2023-24 season, and was dealt to Philadelphia only two games into his time in Los Angeles. He barely played for the 76ers, averaging only 3.7 points per game across 715 largely unmemorable minutes. He is a fringe NBA player at this point, athletic enough to have upside, but still largely unproven when it comes to genuinely contributing to winning.

But KJ Martin had a uniquely valuable contract. The Rockets drafted him No. 52 overall in the second round of the 2020 NBA Draft, and like most second-round picks, he had very little negotiating power. That meant that his initial salary was always going to be low, and sure enough, he made less than $2 million last season. That meant that his cap hold as a 2024 free agent was extremely low --meaning it only cost the 76ers around $2.1 million in cap space to keep him on the books this offseason while they did their other business. Obviously, that tiny cap hold didn't impede their ability to sign George, Oubre, Martin or Drummond.

However, the Rockets viewed Martin as a desirable long-term prospect when they drafted him. They wanted to keep him on a long-term deal, so instead of signing him for the rookie minimum, they dipped into their non-taxpayer mid-level exception to pay him a bit more in exchange for four years of team control. That meant that when his first contract expired, as it did this offseason, he would become an unrestricted free agent with full Bird Rights as opposed to the Early Bird Rights many second-round picks as restricted free agents following two-year rookie minimum deals. That difference gives the 76ers a chance to do something very creative to seek another major piece.