Eight Potential Trade Targets for KJ Martin

One of the most important pieces of this summer's signing spree was a guy practically guaranteed to be gone at the deadline. MOC sizes up eight dudes we could end up swapping him for.

For those who only saw the headlines and never read into it much, the Sixers re-signing KJ Martin to a two year, $16 million contract with the second year being non-guaranteed likely had very little to do with his on-court performance or skill set – the Sixers were more likely just taking advantage of their ability to go over the cap to sign Martin so that they could use him in a trade later on.  

Because the Sixers are over the first apron, that means that they can’t take back more salary than they send out in a trade. That doesn’t mean they can’t acquire anyone making more than $8 million in a trade, though; they could still aggregate other salaries on the roster to acquire a player making more. Here’s a more in-depth explanation that I tweeted a couple weeks back. 

Of course, with the lack of frontcourt pieces on this roster, Martin could still find himself having a significant role in the early parts of the season, but there is absolutely no way the Sixers would give him $8 million this season for any reason other than to have the ability to trade him for an impact player in return. He played just 12 minutes per game last season, and as a 6-foot-6 power forward who is mediocre on defense and can’t shoot, I would bet very heavily on him being traded this season. 

So, with a hypothetical Martin trade likely to be looming over the first few months of the season, I’d like to break down a few of the possible targets who the Sixers could acquire in exchange for Martin. 

One-for-one trades

This group of players would make for the simplest possible exchange in a Martin trade; they make less than his salary, so they could be traded straight up for him without the Sixers having to include more players to aggregate salary. 

Trade 1:

Sixers get: Kenrich Williams

Thunder get: KJ Martin, 2026 second round pick, 2027 second round pick via MIL, 2029 second round pick (top-40 protected)

Williams’ most appealing quality is that he’s a smart team defender – he’s the type of player that would make the Sixers’ defense more connected with his mere presence. The rest of his game is passable, while not great – he’s a solid passer, capable 3-point shooter, and is an above average rebounder for his size. He would help the Sixers’ biggest need (rebounding) while also making a positive impact defensively. He would immediately become the most natural power forward on the roster – and while he likely isn’t good enough to overtake Martin or Oubre in the starting lineup, he could play in high-leverage moments if needed. 

As I’ll discuss more later on, there’s one other reason that I think Williams makes a ton of sense – somewhere between 10 and 15 teams in the league are likely to end up over the first apron, and OKC is not one of them. So, there is no restriction here for OKC taking back more money than they are sending out in a trade. If he gets buried in the rotation with OKC’s crowded front court, I imagine they wouldn’t mind getting assets back for him in a trade. 

Williams isn’t the splashy name that many likely envisioned when thinking about trade targets for Martin, but he fills the exact need that the Sixers have both in terms of position and skill set. 

Trade 2:

Sixers get: Dean Wade

Cavs get: KJ Martin, 2026 second round pick, 2027 second round pick via MIL, 2029 second round pick (top-40 protected)

I’d feel similarly about this type of deal as I would about a Kenrich Williams trade – Wade would shore up their front court depth and slide nicely into a 20 minute per game bench role, while not being very likely to start or close games.

Still, Wade is a willing 3-point shooter for his size, rebounds at a decent level, and is not a total sieve on defense. He’s been a constant part of the Cavs rotation over the past few years despite injuries, but if the Cavs decide that they would rather get some assets for him rather than keep him in their crowded front court, he’d be an acceptable trade target. 

Martin + minimums

As I mentioned above, one of the ways to be able to get a better player back in return for Martin is to include other players along with him in a trade, likely becoming a 2-for-1 or 3-for-1 trade. Of course, the Sixers could include rotation players like Caleb Martin, Jared McCain, or Andre Drummond to be able to bring back higher salary players, but for this section, we’re just going to focus on players the Sixers could get for Martin plus minimum contract-level players. 

Trade 3:

Sixers get: Jarred Vanderbilt

Lakers get: KJ Martin, Adem Bona, 2026 first round pick (least favorable of OKC/HOU/LAC)

Pistons get: Reggie Jackson, 2029 top-50 protected second round pick from PHI

This type of 3-team trade is one that I imagine will be quite popular this year – because this trade involves two teams who are over the apron (Sixers and Lakers), the inclusion of a third team is essential because it allows for both of those teams to be able to send out more money than they are taking back. The Pistons just act as a facilitator, taking back some salary in order to get a minor asset in return. 

As for why this trade makes sense, Vanderbilt is exactly what the Sixers need: His elite rebounding and defensive versatility fill major holes in their front court, and he’s signed to a reasonable contract through 2027. He is a non-shooter, but is a useful dunker spot guy who should be able to share the court just fine with Embiid. He can also play some backup center in a pinch.

Last week, Lakers writer Jovan Buha listed Vanderbilt among a bunch of Lakers players who might have “neutral to negative trade value.” Still, if I’m the Sixers, I’d be happy to part with that 2026 pick to get Vanderbilt – bear in mind that given the details of that pick, it is extremely likely to be in the late 20s. Vanderbilt fits the exact mold of the type of player the Sixers need, and if the Lakers’ season goes sideways and they’re willing to part with him at this price, I’d be all for it.

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Trade 4:

Sixers get: Brandon Clarke

Grizzlies get: KJ Martin, Adem Bona, Reggie Jackson, 2026 first round pick (least favorable of LAC/HOU/OKC)

I won’t spend too much time on Clarke, as I find it unlikely that the Grizzlies would trade him – but he’s a similar player to Vanderbilt, in the sense that he provides rebounding, physicality, and defensive versatility in the front court. If available, he’d be an excellent addition to the Sixers’ rotation. And, notably, the Grizzlies will not be over the first apron, so they can take back additional salary in a trade and would not require the presence of a third team. 

Trade 5:

Sixers get: Kelly Olynyk

Raptors get: KJ Martin, Reggie Jackson, Adem Bona, 2026 second round pick, 2027 second round pick via MIL, 2029 second round pick

An Olynyk trade would make tons of sense for both sides. The Raptors are going nowhere this year, and they have Scottie Barnes’ extension beginning in 2 seasons, so they likely would be willing to part with Olynyk given that he’s signed through 2026. 

Olynyk is a far different player from Clarke or Vanderbilt; he doesn’t bring any of their defensive versatility and is merely solid on the boards, but he’s an excellent passer and is a proven 3-point shooting threat. He’d give me some pause in the playoffs on the defensive end, but as far as the regular season goes, he’d provide a ton of value with his ability to take pressure off of Embiid on the glass, execute high-low passes with him, and reliably space the floor. He’s also somewhat underrated when attacking close-outs, and additionally can play backup center in a pinch. 

Of all the names listed here, Olynyk might be the most likely to come to fruition given the likelihood of him being available and the obvious fit with the Sixers’ roster. If it does come to pass, I’d support it. 

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Trade 6:

Sixers get: Grant Williams

Hornets get: KJ Martin, Adem Bona, Reggie Jackson, 2026 second round pick, 2027 second round pick via MIL, 2029 second round pick

I figured I should include this one as many people will suggest Grant Williams, but I find myself somewhat uninterested in the idea of trading for him; he has worn out his welcome in the last two locker rooms he’s been in, and he doesn’t fill the Sixers’ biggest need – rebounding. He has averaged just 5.7 rebounds per 36 minutes for his career, and his teams have not been meaningfully better on the defensive glass with him on the floor for most of his career. 

I wouldn’t completely hate the idea of trading for him; I like his defensive IQ and versatility, and I do believe in his jump shot – he shot a higher volume and percentage from deep than Tobias did last year, for comparison. But I just worry about his impact on the locker room, as well as the fact that he doesn’t help the team’s biggest weakness (rebounding). 

Martin plus McCain

If you want the Sixers to trade for any player making more than around $14 million, you have almost no choice but to trade Jared McCain or another rotation player like Drummond, Caleb Martin, etc. 

I’m certainly not saying McCain is untouchable, but I do think he has a decent chance of being a rotation player from Day One, so any trade that involves him would weaken the backup guard rotation. That obviously becomes less of an issue with the amount of veteran guards on the roster, but still – you’re going to have to weigh the present and future cost of including him in a deal. 

Trade 7:

Sixers get: Dorian Finney-Smith

Nets get: KJ Martin, Jared McCain, Reggie Jackson, 2027 second round pick via MIL, remove the protections from the Sixers’ 2027 first round pick

To clarify on that last part: the Sixers currently owe the Nets their 2027 first round pick from the James Harden deal, but it is top-8 protected. One of the things they could do to sweeten the deal here is remove those protections in order to give Brooklyn the rights to that pick outright.

Of course, that doesn’t carry tons of value, but with the new lottery rules, being able to have an unprotected pick in the event that the Sixers have a year from hell – in a year in which Embiid and Paul George will turn 33 and 36, respectively, I might add – definitely has some weight. 

A lot of whether or not this framework is realistic depends on how McCain looks in his first half season on an NBA floor. If he flounders and looks terrible, it will take more than this to pry DFS. If he looks great, you might be able to get him for less. 

Overall, though, I wouldn’t mind this framework of a deal. Finney-Smith doesn’t quench the Sixers’ needs as much as some of the other players I’ve listed, but he does accentuate their strengths while taking nothing off the table. He is certainly a natural power forward at this stage of his career, and he is at his best defending big wings. He’s capable enough as a shooter and space attacker offensively that he would take nothing off the table on that end. In my opinion, if the Sixers trade for him, they should start him over Caleb Martin. Finney-Smith is also a major plus in the toughness category, and would give this team more of an edge that they might be lacking.

Trade 8:

Sixers get: Lauri Markkanen

Jazz get: KJ Martin, Kelly Oubre, Jared McCain, four first round picks, two second round picks

Here’s where things get a little bit nuts. The Sixers could pull off this trade salary-wise, but after completing this deal, they would be forced to either let Markkanen walk or lock themselves into second apron hell for years to come. That would involve not only a ridiculous tax bill that Josh Harris is unlikely to pay, but also major penalties and restrictions around improving the roster.

That said: I’d be lying if I said it doesn’t sound pretty sweet to have a starting five of Maxey-Martin-George-Markkanen-Embiid locked in for a few years. The rest of the roster after this year would be limited to minimum contracts and UDFAs, but I can’t say it doesn’t sound fun. 

Unfortunately, though, this one feels very unlikely to happen. Realistically, Finney-Smith is the only trade target in this salary range that makes sense. And to go up even further, to get players in the $20+ million range, things start to get very unrealistic from a logistics standpoint. You’d have to start creating four-for-one trades that include KJ Martin, Oubre, Caleb Martin, and McCain. So, we’ll cut the fake trades here before things start really jumping the shark. 

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Mike O’Connor is the best O’Connor in basketball writing. Previously of The Athletic, you can find Mike on Twitter @MOConnor_NBA. Mike’s writing is brought to you by Body Bio, supplements based on science, focusing on your gut and brain health. Get 20% off E-Lyte, Gut+, and all Body Bio products with promo code MIKESTUMMY at Body Bio’s website.