And just like that, Sacramento's longest-running soap opera has been cancelled. The Kings provided a definitive answer to the most lingering question since the June draft — can Kevin Martin play alongside rookie phenom Tyreke Evans? — by unexpectedly shipping their once franchise star out of town. After weeks of speculation and reports from inside sources insisting that Martin was all but certain to remain a King come Thursday's NBA trade deadline, Sacramento's longest-tenured and highest-paid player has been dealt to the Houston Rockets.
In exchange for Martin and the seldom-used trio of Kenny Thomas, Sergio Rodriguez, and Hilton Armstrong, the Kings acquired 26-year-old power foward Carl Landry, backup center and perennial benchwarmer Joey Dorsey, and the expiring $22.8-million contract (!) of Tracy McGrady. There is a strong
likelihood that McGrady, who's played a total of 35 minutes this season before being exiled by the Rockets, will either be bought-out (the preferred option) or shipped to the New York Knicks for a combination of unwanted contracts and future draft picks. (UPDATE: As expected, the Kings have shipped McGrady to the Knicks and acquired Larry "Never Met a Shot I Didn't Like" Hughes in a three-team trade with Houston. The cap situation remains unchanged, while Kenny Thomas' expiring contract lives to see another day... or couple of hours.)
There isn't much to add about Martin, who's missed at least 20 games over the last three years, including 32 this season, that I didn't say in early November, when I lobbied trading the high-scoring but unfortunately injury-prone and fragile shooting guard. Although Martin was once able to score as efficiently as any player in the league despite limited opportunities alongside volume-shooters Ron Artest and Mike Bibby, he never truly regained his old form while trying to work his way back into the offense after fracturing his wrist five games into this season.
In his absence, Donté Greene and Omri Casspi gained confidence, while Tyreke Evans established himself as the primary option on offense, leaving Martin slowly phased out and ultimately benched for all but 15 seconds of the fourth quarter against the Boston Celtics. While it may be too early to write him off completely and declare that the 27-year-old has already reached his peak — perhaps he'll regain his touch under Rick Adelman, who served as the Kings head coach during Martin's first two seasons — the Kings decided it was time to end the short-lived backcourt experiment and not risk holding on to another player past his prime.
As it stands, Sacramento's primary motivation is not suprisingly cap-related. Martin is due to make $34.6 million after this season on a contract that runs through 2012-13, meaning the trade saves the Kings nearly $30 million over the next three years (presuming there are no further pieces added to the puzzle). Sacramento will now be in prime position to be a major player in free agency (what's not to like about Sacramento, LeBron?), or more likely, in future negotations with teams looking to shed payroll.
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