Exodus from Denver Nuggets continues - Kenyon Martin to play in China next season: NBA Update
Denver Nuggets star Kenyon Martin has agreed a deal to play in China next season, his agent confirmed recently. The forward was a free agent this summer and has decided to try his hand abroad rather than wait for the NBA lockout to end.
Kenyon joins a growing number of NBA players who have opted for foreign contracts during the current lockout. The NBA labour dispute resulted in a lockout on July 1st which is still going on. With no compromise for a new CBA on the horizon, the next NBA season looks more unlikely with each passing day.
The NBPA earlier urged NBA players to seek employment elsewhere because they anticipated a long lockout and it seems Martin has heeded the advice. The forwards agent, Andy Miller, confirmed the deal to the Associated Press in an email.
"He's looking forward to the opportunity and global expansion of his image/game," Miller wrote in an email. "He's feeling great."
Martin missed the start of last season because of long standing injury problems with his knees. The forward returned to the Denver Nuggets side after 26 games and slowly re-established himself as an effective force.
Although initially regarded as a future super star by the Nuggets, who gave him a huge contract, Kenyon Martin never really lived up to the lofty expectations. Still his aggressive game endeared him to many fans and helped creating a marketable image, which he is now looking to cash in by signing the deal in China.
Kenyon will be playing for the Xinjiang Flying Tigers next season in China. According to CBA rules, Martin will not be allowed to return to the United States if the lockout ends and an NBA season, or some part of it, is salvaged.
Accompanying him on the Flying Tigers roster will be Quincy Douby, a shooting guard who is a former first-round draft pick by the Sacramento Kings.
Martin is the 5th Denver Nuggets star to sign abroad during the lockout. The team, who traded away super star forward Carmelo Anthony during the last NBA season, have seen an exodus with several players deciding to move away this summer.
These include Ty Lawson and Danilo Gallinari, who both signed in Europe for Lithuanian and Italian sides respectively. If the lockout ends, they will make a return to the Nuggets.
Not making a return for the Nuggets will be Martin, and his former teammates Wilson Chandler and J.R. Smith. Chandler and Smith both were also free agents this summer and, like Martin, have signed for teams in China.
In addition, it is unclear whether Brazilian centre Nene will return next season or not.
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