The Detroit Pistons made their first move of the trade deadline, absorbing KJ Martin from the 76ers for two second-round picks.
The trade was first reported by Marc Stein:
The Sixers are trading KJ Martin and two second-round picks to Detroit, league sources say. https://t.co/73UOafVDYH
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) February 5, 2025
It’s hardly the blockbuster some fans were anticipating, but it’s likely not the last move the Pistons are going to make and sets up two scenarios.
The Pistons keep KJ Martin, make another similar move
The Pistons can absorb Martin into their cap space or use the room exception to acquire him, and if so, they’ve gotten a 24-year-old wing and two second-round picks without sending anything out.
Even if Martin never plays, the Pistons are stockpiling an impressive collection of second-round picks.
They still don’t have extra firsts, but those 2nds could end up being valuable, especially if the Pistons lose their 2025 draft pick to Minnesota, which they currently would.
Detroit may be able to package a few of them together to move into the first round of the 2025 draft when there are teams looking to duck the luxury tax or stay under one of the tax aprons and don't want the guaranteed salary.
Martin has shown flashes, as he averaged 12.7 points per game for Houston just a few seasons ago but has since been hampered with injuries. He’s not a volume 3-point shooter (at all) but has hit 38 percent of them this season, and at the very least offers the Pistons some depth. .
His contract for next season is only partially guaranteed, so the Pistons could use the rest of this one as a tryout to see if he has anything to offer.
This would leave the Pistons around $6 million in cap space, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Trajan Langdon was looking for a similar trade to take on a contract for picks with it.
But there are other scenarios.
The Pistons re-route Martin to another team in another trade
Depending on the details of the deal, the Pistons could still move Martin in a separate trade, which is a possibility according to beat writer Omari Sankofa II.
This would give the Pistons an extra $8 million in salary to package in a trade, and given that it’s not a big cost, Martin is a guy a lot of teams would happily absorb.
There are ways this could work in which the Pistons keep their cap space, so would have Martin, their $14 million and possibly the contract of Tim Hardaway Jr. to include in a trade, which is enough to get into impactful player territory.
I’d rank this possibility as low, mostly because there isn’t a clear target, but as we’ve seen in recent days, names can emerge and deals can be made quickly, so stay tuned.