The Georges Niang trade was a move that should make the Utah Jazz happy, but the only problem is that now, they have too many players on the roster at 16. While many will point to the obvious move of waiving Kevin Love, the Jazz can go into the season with 14 players, which could pave the way for another player to get the axe: KJ Martin.
Martin has a pretty team-friendly deal. While he's only owed $8 million for the 2025-26 season, his contract is also completely nonguaranteed and his guarantee date isn't until January 10. The sad part about it is that Martin is a pretty solid player with what he brings to the table.
He's a rim-running big man who tried hard, plays solid defense, and is a lob threat who the Jazz got for pretty much nothing. That's a pretty good skillset for someone whose contract is only at $8 million. There's so much appeal in Martin that it's possible that Utah won't even have to cut him because there should be a trade market for players like him.
It's not like Utah has to save money, but it feels like even though the team waiving Love is a matter of when, not if, it doesn't feel like Martin has much of a place on the team.
Martin likely wasn't getting time anyway
Even though Martin has some good qualities in his game, it's hard to foresee him getting any time in the Jazz's frontcourt rotation even if the plan was to keep him. Just look at Utah's frontcourt rotation as it stands.
Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler are penciled in as starters in their frontcourt this coming season, but playing right behind them are the likes of Ace Bailey, Kyle Filipowski, and Taylor Hendricks. It's hard to see how playing Martin will be a priority for the Jazz when they have young players with more potential than him.
Plus, don't be surprised if Will Hardy trots out some unorthodox lineups, which could mean Martin gets some time there, but it also means Niang, Brice Sensabaugh, and Kyle Anderson could get some time playing the small-ball four. By that same thought process, Martin could also play small-ball five, but he likely wouldn't be Hardy's first choice.
More than anything, it's unfair to Martin to be buried simply because of the situation he's in. He absolutely should play, but it's hard to see how he will do that on a team like the Jazz. It doesn't just feel like getting rid of Martin is coming, but it also feels like the best move for all sides involved.