No one thought the Utah Jazz would acquire a star at the NBA trade deadline, and they didn't because there wouldn't have been a point. However, after making many trades before the deadline passed, they came up with KJ Martin. In short, that's a pretty smart addition
Every rebuilding team needs a centerpiece, that's for sure. However, every rebuilding team also needs a dependable supporting cast. Martin definitely fits into that equation. At 24 years old, Martin is aptly paid, has shown his on-court awareness,
It's only been two games, but Martin has definitely left an impression among impressionable Jazz fans.
do what you do then, @kj__martin! 😈🚫 pic.twitter.com/SmeSr2Fyyl
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 22, 2025
With the Jazz undermanned going into their win against the Houston Rockets, they gave Martin the start, and he delivered for them. Sure, he left plenty to be desired from three (one-for-five), but Martin ended up with 11 points and five rebounds. He also finished with a plus/minus of plus-six.
⚡️ @deltacenter was electric last night ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/QNfml7X9xH
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) February 23, 2025
With 26 games left in the season, the Jazz will better understand how he fits with them, but the initial results are very promising. However, this isn't just about how good Martin has been; it's also about knowing how little the Jazz had to pay to get him.
The Jazz got a valuable cog for expendable assets
When the trade deadline passed, the Jazz making multiple trades for second-round picks (causing fanbases to roll their eyes at Utah) overshadowed the Martin acquisition. Two games in, Martin looks both exciting and promising, even if he's not Utah's next face of the franchise.
It is even more impressive that Martin came at a very low cost. The chain reaction of trades that led to Martin's joining Utah started with the Drew Eubanks and Patty Mills trade to the Clippers. That led to PJ Tucker, which led to Dennis Schroder, and it all ended with Martin in Utah.
The Jazz traded for a young, active, shot-blocking, high-IQ big man and lob threat. All it took to get him was basically Eubanks and Mills, who everyone knew going in wouldn't be Jazzmen for long. That's pretty clever work by the front office.
They managed to make something good out of assets with minimal value. The Jazz may not see results from Martin right away, but he could be a long-term fixture. It'd be hard to call a move like this a home run, but it looks like a smart enough move that, in baseball terms, it should be called a ground-rule double.