The Minnesota Timberwolves are in the middle of another losing season, with a 13-31 record right now, but the future looks bright with Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns in the mix. At this point, any veteran who is not a part of the future for the Timberwolves is legitimate trade bait with the deadline approaching.
Kevin Martin has recently returned to head coach Sam Mitchell‘s rotation, outside of a missed game due to illness last week, but from just before Christmas through the first of the year he did not play in seven straight games. Trade speculation has surrounded Martin, most recently with rumored interest from the Milwaukee Bucks as well as a possible failed swap with the Memphis Grizzlies, but the Sacramento Kings, Houston Rockets and Chicago Bulls are teams with some level of recent reported interest in Martin.
A fluctuating role seems to be hurting Martin, as his points per game average (11.3) is the lowest since his second NBA season and his overall field goal percentage (37.2 percent) is the lowest of his career. Not surprisingly, Martin’s three-point shooting percentage (34.7 percent) is also among the worst marks of his career.
This is the final guaranteed season of Martin’s contract, but he has a player option worth close to $7.4 million for 2016-17. His age (33 on Feb. 1) and lack of contribution in non-scoring categories (2.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game this season) further depletes Martin’s trade value, to say nothing of the bad season he is currently in the middle of.
The possible trade market for Martin looks very specific, and very limited, to me. A playoff contending team that needs perimeter shooting and can deploy Martin in an offense-first, sixth-man role would be the best fit, and the aforementioned teams all fit that bill to some degree. The Timberwolves aren’t likely to get much in return for Martin, but anything they can get has a better chance to become a long-term piece. The veteran shooting guard needs to be moved at some point over the next few weeks.
