Houston Rockets: Kevin Martin Trade Ideas Part 2

After another Kevin Martin no-show last night vs. Utah (2-10 FG, 6 points), it's time to look at some more trade ideas. I still think Martin is a really good player, but there's obviously a problem. Maybe he's just not a fit in McHale's offense or maybe the trade rumors are in his head, either way, he's not scoring consistently, and if he's not scoring, he's not providing you with anything on the court. So far in 34 games this season, Martin has 7 single-digit scoring games; in 80 games last season, he had only 3 single-digit scoring games. All of the following trades have been run through ESPN's trade machine to make sure the numbers work.

Idea #1

Rockets Get: Eric Gordon and Chris Kaman

Hornets Get: Kevin Martin, Luis Scola, & the Knicks 2012 1st round pick (McGrady trade)

Why the Rockets would do this: Kaman gives the Rockets another 7-footer, one that weighs 15 pounds more than Dalembert, to defend the bigger teams in the West. This trade also gives them a 20-point scorer in Gordon who's 6 years younger than Martin. Their starting lineup would have Lowry at the point, Gordon at the 2, Parsons at the 3, Patrick Patterson at the 4, and either Kaman or Dalembert at center. In my opinion this trade doesn't lose anything on offense, but makes the team younger and better defensively. Another bonus, both Kaman and Gordon will be free-agents after the season, so if this doesn't work out, the Rockets will have 31.4 million coming off the books to pursue top level free-agents like Dwight Howard (also have Thabeet, Flynn, Hill, & Williams expiring contracts). That'd be enough for two stars to put alongside Lowry.

Why the Hornets would do this: If you remember the failed Pau Gasol trade, Martin and Scola were the two players the Hornets were supposed to get back, so there's obvious interest there. Also, as I mentioned earlier, Eric Gordon is a free-agent-to-be, so it allows the Hornets to not lose him for nothing. It'll depend on the Hornets strategy for the future, but it gives them two 15-20 point scorers with reasonable contracts and multiple years left to build the team around.

Idea #2

Rockets Get: Andrew Bogut

Bucks Get: Kevin Martin, & the Knicks 2012 1st round pick (McGrady trade)

Why the Rockets would do this: If necessary, you can throw in Patrick Patterson to sweeten the pot since you'll be keeping Scola; both options work financially. Despite being injured currently, Bogut is a legit 7-foot center to compliment Scola at the 4. Before getting injured early on this year, over the previous two seasons Bogut averaged 14.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game. On the injury, a recent report indicates that he won't need surgery and at only 27, he has many years left in his prime. When Bogut returns, that would give the Rockets a starting lineup of Lowry at the point, Courtney Lee at the 2 (who I'd rather having starting right now anyway), Parsons at the 3, Scola at power forward, and Bogut at center. After this season is over, the Rockets would still enough money coming off the books to sign an All-Star level player at the 2 or 3 spot.

Why the Bucks would do this: I don't think the Bucks will be able to keep Bogut long-term, so with Martin's contract being 1-year shorter, it gives them a chance to clear cap space in time to attempt to re-sign Brandon Jennings (Jennings and Martin both have 2 years left including this season). This trade also allows the Bucks to slide Stephen Jackson to the 3, which I think is his more natural position.