Kenyon Martin is about to be a free agent at age 33. A guy who has had his big contract and is set financially (or at least should be). As a rookie he was on a Nets team that went all the way to the NBA finals and has never been that far again.
That is the recipe for a guy willing to take a big pay cut to go to a contender.
That’s what Martin told the Denver Post.“At this point in my career, I think winning and being part of a winning team is more important than starting,” Martin said.
Martin was asked if the Nuggets could fit that role of a winning franchise.
“Winning? Yeah,” he said after the players cleaned out their lockers at Pepsi Center. “But we’ll see (about signing).”
It’s hard to say how this free agent summer is going to shake out, you would think some contenders will have interest but whether they have the room to get him under a new CBA is another question entirely. But two things you can expect with the pursuit of Martin:
1) He’s going to take a steep pay cut from the $16.5 million he made this season. He’s in his 30s with a history of knee trouble, that is not a recipe for a big payday now that Isiah Thomas is out of the league.
2) If a contender comes through with an offer anywhere in the ballpark of what the Nuggets offer, he is gone.
