There remains a strong likelihood that Jonathan Kuminga will be eventually be back with the Golden State Warriors this season, whether that's on the qualifying offer or a more preferable multi-year deal.
Yet until the young forward officially signs on the dotted line, anything could happen including the possibility of a sign-and-trade. In such an event, the Warriors would probably be on the lookout for another forward option to balance the veteran combination of Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green. As it turns out, one similarly athletic player has just hit the free agency market on the eve of training camp.
KJ Martin is available after being waived by the Jazz
Much like Kuminga, KJ Martin is blessed with elite athleticism which can lead to plenty of highlight plays particularly on the offensive end. The 24-year-old also has his downsides elsewhere in his game though, leading to his movement around four different teams and most recently his departure from the Utah Jazz.
Martin was waived by the Jazz earlier in the week, having made 19 appearances for the franchise at the end of last season where he averaged 6.3 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.5 assists while shooting 49% from the field.
Prior to that he'd actually been involved in the five-team trade that delivered Jimmy Butler to the Warriors, with Martin having spent time at the Philadelphia 76ers where to begin the season he shot a career-high 38.1% from 3-point range.
His best year remains at the Houston Rockets in 2022-23 where he started 49 of 82 games and averaged career-highs in minutes (28.0) points (12.0), rebounds (5.5) and assists (1.5). The Rockets clearly didn't see a future with the high-flyer though, sending him to the L.A. Clippers that offseason for two second-round picks.
With Martin's NBA career now hanging in the balance, the Warriors could do worse than at least bringing the 6'6" forward to camp, especially if Kuminga is absent from the start of it as his free agency stalemate continues.
Martin certainly doesn't have anywhere near the level of individual shot-creation or go-to scoring power that Kuminga does, but perhaps having someone to simply be an outlet at the rim could be valuable when defenses load up on Butler and Stephen Curry.
Martin doesn't particularly fit into the mould of what a typical Steve Kerr player would look like, yet he might now be the best available option if the Warriors want to regain some of the athleticism they may lose in Kuminga.