It wasn’t too long ago that Chauncey Billups was kinda bent about the idea of becoming a Los Angeles Clipper. He didn’t want to be amnestied by the New York Knicks, talked about maybe not even showing up to camp in LA, but he eventually did and is now asking his friends to come join the party. Lob City is a lot more fun than he thought, I guess.
In a conversation with The Los Angeles Times over the weekend, Billups said that he reached out to Kenyon Martin recently and would like to see him sign with the Clipps to bolster their frontline for a push towards the post-season. Kenyon is currently biding his time until his Chinese Basketball Association team finishes their season in mid-February, and Billups indicated Martin is open to the idea. Which may or may not have been what Chauncey was talking to Chris Paul about in the picture below.
This according to The LA Times:
The Clippers’ veteran guard said Saturday that he has reached out to the free-agent forward, a former teammate of his in Denver, about signing with the Clippers. What are Martin’s thoughts about doing so?
“I’ll let him tell y’all that,” Billups said with a smile.
“He’s very valuable,” Billups said of Martin. “Of course, he comes from winning stock. He’s been to the (NBA) Finals twice. He has great ability. He is a leader. One thing I know about Kenyon, he’s a winner. He’ll do whatever it takes to win. He’s one of the great one-on-one defensive players for a big man I’ve played with. And, contrary to what everybody believes, he’s a really good dude.”
The Clippers only have 14 players on their roster right now, so they probably should add somebody. Why not Martin? He’s certainly getting up there at 34-years of age, but if he can be that team first guy who plays a role for 15 or so minutes a night, I imagine he’d make most team’s better. The fact that Chauncey knows him, likes him, and has played with him before in Denver almost makes this move a no-brainer really.
Kenyon would become eligible to sign with an NBA team in mid-February, and even if he wasn’t NBA ready until March that would still give him an opportunity to play over 30-games with the Clips before the post-season came calling. As far as compensation, Billups’ team currently holds two trade exceptions for either $3.8 or $2.7 million, as well as a $2.5 million mid-level exception. I’d imagine any of those three options would be enough to get Martin.
