Following the draft, when Houston had Jabari Smith Jr. and Eason, K.J. Martin’s position in the rotation looked even murkier. But the Rockets made it clear Martin was in their plans. Teams had called Houston in hopes of acquiring the athletic wing but the organization refused to budge. He had to buckle down and prove himself once again in training camp and preseason. With some stability under his belt, scoring a career-high 11.3 points per game, Martin is now open to an extension to remain in Houston long-term, sources with knowledge of discussions tell The Athletic.
Source: Kelly Iko @ The Athletic
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“I don’t care about how much I score,” Martin told The Athletic. “If I can get someone else open, I’m fine with that. Just me being a connector — when the offense gets stagnant, get something moving so other guys see it. And the next time we come down the floor, if this works go back to it. Me and Coach talked a lot (about it), and me being a connector on offense and defense helps us a lot.” -via The Athletic / November 8, 2022
“We have a lot of young guys, so off misses, even some makes, getting the ball out fast and pushing it in transition,” Martin said. “Once we see we don’t have a driving angle, getting into our sets and slowing down. The change of pace in the game, that’s where we can be good at. We have guys that can score one-on-one and those guys can also run in transition. That makes us lethal.” -via The Athletic / November 8, 2022
Perhaps there’s a three-team framework with Atlanta in which the Hawks could send a young player and salary, such as Justin Holiday’s contract, to Phoenix, which the Suns could re-route and obtain a different player on their wish list. Rockets forward KJ Martin, another forward known to have interest in playing elsewhere, is one player the Suns have held ongoing talks about obtaining, sources said. Portland and Miami are two other known teams with interest in Martin. -via Yahoo! Sports / October 12, 2022