Washington Wizards: Kevin Martin rumors swirl
As the NBA trade deadline approaches, rumors will start to swirl quicker and quicker. For the Washington Wizards, their roster looks pretty complete, but adding another piece or two certainly wouldn’t hurt.
Kevin Martin is a name that has been linked to this team over the last week or so. It would make sense for Washington to add another backup shooting guard, as Martell Webster has been battling injuries throughout the entire season. Although it isn’t a necessary move to make, there really isn’t any good reason not to if a solid trade is put forth.
However, the Wizards do not have to make any moves at the deadline to be legitimate contenders, because they already are. At 32-20, they currently hold the third seed in the Eastern Conference and they are coming off of a five game losing streak.
If the Wizards were to make any moves before the deadline, it would likely be adding a solid bench player and not a big-name starter. Martin fits this description very well.
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He is owed $14 million over the next two years, which is hefty sum for a player that won’t even be producing more than 30 minutes a game. However, having him as an extra scoring punch off the bench would be huge for any playoff team to have.
The ten-year veteran has played in just 16 games this season, but has averaged 20.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 2.1 assist per contest. He always shoots high percentages, both from the line and the from the field. He has shot a very impressive 39% from long-distance in his career. He has also shot 44% from the field and 86% from the free-throw line in his career.
Despite those impressive numbers, he has bounced around quite a bit over the past five years. After spending the first five years of his career with the Sacramento Kings, he has been on three different teams over the past five years. A big reason for that is due to his price tag.
Though he has been a very solid player throughout his career, the money that he has received is a bit too much for a role player. He has demanded a high sum and teams have been unwilling to give that too him. However, he has performed successfully wherever he has gone, so it has not effected his play.
Regardless of whether the Wizards acquire a player or not, they will pose as major threats to any team in Eastern Conference come playoff time.