‘My Goodness!’ BREAKING: Rockets Trade K.J. Martin To Clippers

A year after his trade request, the Houston Rockets have sent forward K.J. Martin to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for two second round picks.

HOUSTON — A year after requesting a trade from the Houston Rockets, forward K.J. Martin is on the move. As first reported by ESPN, the Rockets have sent Martin to the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for a pair of second-round picks.

The deal with the Clippers came two days after the Rockets exercised their team option on Martin for the 2023-24 season. The Los Angeles native is projected to make $1.9 million with the Clippers.

Martin, 22, came into the 2022-23 campaign with uncertainty surrounding his future with the team. But by the end of his third season, Martin had a career year averaging 12.7 points on 56.9 percent shooting and 5.5 rebounds across 82 games.

His best game came on March 22 in a road match against the Memphis Grizzlies. Martin scored a career-best 31 points on 12-for-18 shooting, 2-for-5 from behind the arc, while the Rockets fell 130-125 to the Grizzlies. He also added six rebounds and two rejections in the loss.

"He was out there just doing what he does," former coach Stephen Silas said. "He is an expert at it. He was just so aggressive and attacking the rim. He continues to be consistent, and that is important in his development."

Martin, the son of former NBA star Kenyon Martin, is an explosive talent who has a leaping ability that caused NBA.com to exclaim, “MY GOODNESS!” at his exploits. (And KJ re-tweeted the observation.)

.@kj__martin had us saying "MY GOODNESS" all season!

Check out some of his best moments 🎬 pic.twitter.com/ZSeIlrssjk

— Houston Rockets (@HoustonRockets) April 25, 2023

Martin was the first player general manager Rafael Stone drafted to ignite the Rockets' rebuild. KJ ends his three-year tenure with the Rockets averaging 10.5 points and 4.8 rebounds across 206 games. 

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