Reports: 76ers Trade KJ Martin to Detroit Pistons in Salary-Dumping Move

The Philadelphia 76ers have reportedly made another trade. Less than one day after sending Caleb Martin to the Dallas Mavericks for Quentin Grimes and a second-round pick, Philadelphia is trading KJ Martin to the Detroit Pistons. Keith Pompey of The Inquirer reported the Sixers are sending Martin and two second-round picks to the Pistons in exchange for the ability to dump Martin’s $8.0 million salary. Adam Aaronson of PhillyVoice was first to report the draft compensation heading to Detroit to be the Milwaukee Bucks’ 2027 second rounder and the Mavericks’ 2031 second rounder.

This move was reportedly in the works since Tuesday night. Kyle Neubeck of PHLY Sports reported Martin was a late scratch from the win over the Mavericks because his status was listed as trade pending. It took until late Wednesday morning for the trade to become finalized.

Martin was having a solid season for the Sixers. However, he missed the previous 22 games due to a left foot stress reaction. When he was on the floor, Martin showcased his athleticism and improved outside shooting. He averaged 6.4 points and 3.0 rebounds while shooting 61.6% from the field and 38.1% from 3-point range. Both of his shooting percentages were career highs.

So, why would the Sixers elect to trade Martin away in what is essentially a salary dump? Between the Sixers’ two trades this week, they were able to shed roughly $11.8 million in salary. This effectively gets them under the $170.8 million luxury tax. The Sixers are now sitting $1.1 million under the luxury tax and $8.4 million under the first luxury tax apron. Ducking the luxury tax serves primarily as a cost-cutting move by Sixers management. However, getting under the first luxury tax apron gives the team slightly more flexibility for making moves in the buyout market. The Sixers currently have two open roster spots. However, one of those will likely get used converting rookie standout Justin Edwards’ two-way contract to a standard deal.

Does shedding Martin’s salary help the Sixers get closer to having the space to re-sign Guerschon Yabusele next offseason? It has no impact on the Sixers’ future cap space since Martin’s $8.0 million salary for next season was non-guaranteed. The Sixers could have waived Martin before June 30 to get his salary off their books before free agency begins. Instead, they attached two second-round picks to get rid of Martin now solely to avoid paying the luxury tax.