January 15, 2025
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With KJ Martin now eligible to be traded, could the Sixers swing a deal for Nets sniper Cameron Johnson?
With the calendar turning to Jan. 15, a dozen of the Sixers' 14 players on standard NBA contracts are officially eligible to be traded without their consent. That was only true for 10 of those players a day ago.
Tyrese Maxey is now eligible to be traded, but it is just about impossible to imagine a world in which the Sixers would even broach that possibility with rival teams. The far more likely player to be moved who is only now allowed to be included in deals: forward KJ Martin, who was signed to a two-year contract over the summer designed specifically to make him an appealing trade asset:
| Season | Salary | Guarantee |
| 2024-25 | $7,975,000 | $7,975,000 |
| 2025-26 | $8,025,000 | $0 |
The only players the Sixers cannot trade without their consent between now and the NBA's Feb. 6 trade deadline are Joel Embiid, who is ineligible to be traded this season under any circumstances, and Kyle Lowry, who has the right to veto any trade he is involved in.
Here are the players who the Sixers can unilaterally move between now and Feb. 6, with each player's salary:
| Player | 2024-25 salary |
| Paul George | $49,205,800 |
| Tyrese Maxey | $35,147,000 |
| Caleb Martin | $8,149,001 |
| Kelly Oubre Jr. | $7,983,000 |
| KJ Martin | $7,975,000 |
| Andre Drummond | $5,000,000 |
| Jared McCain | $4,020,360 |
| Eric Gordon | $3,303,771 |
| Reggie Jackson | $2,087,519 |
| Guerschon Yabusele | $2,087,519 |
| Ricky Council IV | $1,891,857 |
| Adem Bona | $1,157,153 |
Because the Sixers cannot send out more money than they take back in trades, they inflated the salary they likely would have been willing to pay Martin otherwise in order to have a greater bandwidth in terms of absorbing salary in a move during the season (some call this a "balloon contract"). But because Martin's salary in the second season of the two-year pact does not become guaranteed until the middle of January 2026, his deal can function as an expiring contract with theoretical upside should the 24-year-old continue to make strides in his development.
Martin, who had become the Sixers' starting power forward before suffering a stress reaction in his foot on Dec. 23, has recently resumed on-court activities, the Sixers said on Tuesday. And if Martin is indeed getting closer to a return, he will have a chance to further cement the notion that he is far more valuable than just a presence as salary filler. With his strong defense across three or four positions, transition scoring, passing chops in advantage situations and improved three-point shooting stroke, Martin has found a real groove with the Sixers.
Not only did Martin emerge from the fringes of head coach Nick Nurse's rotation to establish himself as a reliable member of the team's frontcourt mix, but he now looks like a player who will be worth an $8 million salary next year as he continues to progress on both ends of the floor. If Martin was to stick around and his comfort as a corner three-point shooter grew with continued reps to the point that he is willing to fire away time and time again, he would become one of the most valuable players on the Sixers.
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The Sixers appear to be extremely pleased with the season Martin has had to date, but it may be easier to justify moving him than someone like Kelly Oubre Jr. in the same price range, while Caleb Martin being dealt months after inking a four-year deal seems unlikely.
Sixers President of Basketball Operations Daryl Morey is either famous or infamous, depending on one's perspective, for his constant and thorough canvassing of the trade market. That will not change over the next few weeks, even though the Sixers' 15-23 record could force Morey to reconsider whether this is a team worth investing valuable long-term assets into.
In any case, Martin now being eligible to be traded does open up a significant number of trade possibilities for the Sixers, should they choose to pursue aggressive pathways. The framework which is impossible without his inclusion: the Sixers stacking together three or four of their most expensive non-max players -- perhaps some combination of KJ Martin, Caleb Martim, Oubre and Andre Drummond -- to create the appetite to take back between $20 and $30 million in salary.
The name which will jump out in this salary range is Brooklyn Nets forward Cameron Johnson, who will earn $22.5 million this season before making just over $43 million across the final two seasons of his current contract. The 28-year-old is having a career season, scoring 19.5 points per game and knocking down 43.6 percent of his long-range tries while averaging 7.5 three-point attempts per game.
Johnson has long been considered one of the best wing shooters in the NBA, but is even smashing his previous bests in that department while also showing significant improvement as a scorer inside the arc and as a secondary playmaker. He is almost certain to be traded in the next few weeks as the Nets accelerate their rebuild, and now the Sixers could theoretically enter the field should they choose to do so.
There are some drawbacks, though: Johnson's value is at an all-time high, so the Sixers would likely be giving up three or four rotation players -- including two starters -- plus significant draft compensation to a Nets team which is embracing a youth movement and has little reason to value the established veterans the Sixers' offer would be built around.
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If the Sixers were willing to be aggressive with their available draft choices -- including some extremely valuable assets they received from the Los Angeles Clippers last year -- they could at least make a competitive offer to Brooklyn. But unless the Sixers were willing to move prized rookie Jared McCain after a torn meniscus cut short his stellar first NBA season, the Nets could very well opt to accept a return for Johnson which includes some sort of intriguing young player.
On top of that, the Sixers would be making a massive bet that they can build a sustainable championship contender around Embiid, Maxey, Paul George and Johnson, with next to to money to spend elsewhere. In the era of the punitive second apron, that would be a significant risk.
Johnson's on-court fit alongside the Sixers' three All-Stars is clear as day. Still, him becoming a Sixer feels unlikely. With KJ Martin's unique contract now allowed to be on the move, though, all sorts of trade possibilities can emerge for the Sixers in the weeks ahead.
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