Houston Rockets Receive: G Payton Pritchard
Boston Celtics Receive: F Kenyon Martin Jr.
It’s rare that a second-round pick receiving serious rotation minutes requests a trade. Yet, apparently, Kenyon Martin Jr. is angling to find his way off of the Houston Rockets.
We can sympathize. Following the 2022 draft, Martin likely found himself lower on this team’s hierarchy. Third overall pick Jabari Smith Jr. will be the presumptive starting power forward. Meanwhile, if 17th overall pick Tari Eason’s Summer League performance is to be trusted, he might push Martin Jr. down a rung on this team’s ladder as well.
Meanwhile, Payton Pritchard may find himself in the same situation in Boston. With the addition of Brogdon, it may be hard to find minutes for the young floor general. In other words, these two sides could be in an ideal position to make a trade.
The Celtics don’t really need Martin, but, they don’t really need Pritchard either. They could reason that Martin Jr.’s far superior athletic profile makes him a higher upside player, both in terms of 2022-23 impact and moving forward.
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Finally, the Rockets could use more point guard options. Their current starter, Kevin Porter Jr., is still experimenting with the position. Backup options include a rookie in TyTy Washington and a highly inexperienced G-Leaguer in Daishin Nix.
