Warriors considered trade for son of former No. 1 pick

Houston Rockets forward KJ Martin Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Warriors considered trade for son of former No. 1 overall pick

By Vinny Somma | Last updated 7/12/23

The Golden State Warriors made a huge splash this offseason when they added future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul from the Washington Wizards. According to The Athletic's Anthony Slater, the Dubs also entertained another trade earlier this summer.

Per Slater, Golden State considered trading for KJ Martin when the Houston Rockets made the young wing available. Martin, the son of former No. 1 overall pick Kenyon Martin, could have made his way to the Bay Area via a trade exception created by the Warriors dealing Patrick Baldwin to Washington in the Paul trade.

Ultimately, "discussions never reached the final stages" between Golden State and Houston, leading to the Rockets to ultimately trade Martin to the Los Angeles Clippers for two future second-round picks.

KJ Martin lookin clean in the Clips gear pic.twitter.com/1XTzapRHCw
— Courtside Clips (@Courtside_Clips) July 9, 2023

Martin, 22, enjoyed a career season in 2022-23, notching new personal bests in starts (49), minutes per game (28.0), points per game (12.7), field-goal percentage (56.9) and rebounds per game (5.5).

The California native would have been an intriguing addition to an aging Warriors roster. However, it's difficult to envision head coach Steve Kerr trusting Martin with regular minutes when former first-round selections Moses Moody and Jonathan Kuminga continue to bounce in and out of the team's rotation.

The Warriors still have two vacant roster spots after the addition of guard Cory Joseph and the impending signing of forward Dario Šarić. The latter helps fill some depth in the frontcourt, but a veteran backup for Kevin Looney, such as Tristan Thompson, could still fit the bill. Slater also identified Rudy Gay as a player to keep an eye on. Gay, who turns 37 years old next month, was recently traded from the Atlanta Hawks to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Dario Saric's Best Plays Of The 2021 Playoffs Before Tearing His ACL (via @kogostomus)#DarioSaric #NBA #Warriors #PhoenixSuns #FreeAgency #DubNation #Cp3 pic.twitter.com/paujSnIsbY
— Dennis (@dennis_k_g) July 8, 2023