Kevin Martin and the Minnesota Timberwolves aren’t speeding toward a divorce.
They’re slowly, painfully, with the swiftness of a three-toed sloth, slogging toward a divorce.
Martin has meandered in and out—mostly in—of the trade rumor mill over the last few weeks. He only recently returned to the rotation following a seven-game stint inside the “DNP” doghouse, and his minutes since have been pared down substantially, dipping below 15 on a nightly basis.
This doesn’t appear to be a part of any specific plan, but as Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press, a Timberwolves beat writer, told Hoops Rumors’ Chuck Myron, Minnesota does have something resembling a plan:
The Wolves are definitely motivated to move Martin. They want to open up more playing time for Zach LaVine and Shabazz Muhammad and Martin clearly would prefer to be on a team that is more competitive at this stage in his career, and one that has an offense that better suits his skill set. So far, the Wolves have not found a willing trade partner. One of the road blocks is that Martin has a player option on his contract next year. The Wolves have been told by several teams that they would like assurances from Martin that he will waive that option and become a free agent next summer. Corey Brewer made that gesture last year before he was traded to the Rockets, I believe. So far, Martin has not been willing to make that declarative statement, and understandably so. He’s struggled offensively this year so I think he wants to see if he can turn things around and increase his value before giving up a $7MM payday next year.
All of this makes sense, and I’ve touched upon Martin’s player option before.
Unless Kevin Martin expresses a sudden change of heart or the Timberwolves are willing to attach a pot-sweetener to his contract, he could finish the season in Minneosta. The team can then look to move him over the offseason, when his expiring contract holds more value and poses less of a risk.
It’s important to also note that the Timberwolves don’t have to trade Martin. It’s even more important to note that they don’t have to play him. It makes life easier, in that he won’t become overtly disgruntled and incite unease inside the locker room. But the Timberwolves aren’t contending for a title now, and Martin isn’t trade bait that they’ll use to vault themselves inside the playoff bubble.
Minnesota has the luxury of patience. If Kevin Martin won’t get rid of his player option for next season and no team is willing to acquire him otherwise, the Timberwolves are better off riding out this situation as opposed to making an impulsive decision that costs them an asset of their own or brings back an undesirable contract in return.
