During the off-season, the Golden State Warriors contemplated trading for former Houston Rockets’ forward KJ Martin before he ended up being dealt to the L.A. Clippers, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic.
NBA free-agency news – Golden State Warriors
Free-agency for five-time NBA Champions the Golden State Warriors has appeared to have been a long line of hit-and-misses.
Many of the players they targeted either opted to go elsewhere, or were snatched up by other teams in free-agency relatively quickly.
The Warriors also had to deal with some losses to their roster, including Donte DiVincenzo, who chose to re-join his 2016 National Championship-winning Villanova teammates Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart at the New York Knicks on a four-year, $50 million contract.
After losing perimeter shooting as a result of DiVincenzo’s departure, the Warriors were greatly interested in bringing in 14-year veteran Eric Gordon, who per StatMuse, is a career 37.1% shooter.
Despite the Warriors reported as being one of his top 3 choices, he chose to sign a two-year deal with the Phoenix Suns as they could offer him an extra year on his contract.
Furthermore, as per Hoops Hype’s Michael Scotto, the Dubs sought the signature of center Mason Plumlee, an area in which the organization identified a significant lack of depth in, as well as being greatly undersized. However, he chose to return to the L.A. Clippers on a one-year, $5 million deal.
The Warriors did manage to secure the services of versatile big Dario Saric on a one-year deal, amid reported interest from the Miami Heat according to Heavy.
What did Anthony Slater say about the Warriors and KJ Martin?
Slater was the first to report that the Warriors considered the idea of bringing KJ Martin to the Bay Area via trade before the Rockets traded him to the Clippers.
The reputable journalist wrote for The Athletic: “The Warriors explored the idea of trading for KJ Martin early in the free agency process.”
“The Rockets were rearranging their roster and made the athletic young wing available via trade. He eventually landed with the Clippers for two second-round picks.”
“The Warriors could have fit him on the roster through the trade exception created when Patrick Baldwin Jr. was sent to Washington, but discussions never reached the final stages.”
How did KJ Martin perform last season?
The 6’7” forward was drafted as the 52nd pick in the 2020 NBA Draft, and spent his first three seasons with the Houston Rockets.
Based on his steady progression since he entered the NBA, there is no surprise why the Warriors were considering trading for him.
As per StatMuse, last season he played all 82 regular season games, starting 49 of them. In 28.0 minutes per game he averaged 12.7 points on 56.9% shooting, 5.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists, all of which are career-highs.
In the past two seasons alone he has only missed three games, showing his durability throughout a season.
He is now a part of the L.A. Clippers, who his father Kenyon Martin Sr. played for back in 2012.
Although the Warriors chose to prioritize veteran experience over youth, as demonstrated by bringing in 38-year-old Chris Paul for 24-year-old Jordan Poole, if KJ Martin continues to improve his game as he has done each season, they may look back in the future and wished they had pursued a trade for him after all.