Sometimes, a player getting traded has nothing to do with his game. Just ask Kenyon Martin.

Back in 2023, his son KJ Martin Jr. was shipped to the Clippers—not because of his play but as a piece in the James Harden deal. Now KJ is on the move again, and once more, it’s not about his skills on the court. And Kenyon is not happy about it.

“I just want the kid to get the opportunity to play basketball without getting caught up in the business of basketball,” he said about KJ joining the Pistons.

“Because every move he’s been, it’s been Houston. They draft the guys, play the same position. I worry about the stuff that he’s done. Clippers got involved with the James Harden trade. It had nothing to do with him… So I just want the kid to be able to hoop without getting caught up in the business side of it,” he added.

And Kenyon’s concerns aren’t unfounded. The 76ers re-signed KJ Martin this summer for around $8 million—not because they saw him as a long-term fit, but because they needed a trade asset. With Philly looking to free up cap space, KJ became part of their financial strategy. In the end, the Sixers flipped him to Detroit, avoiding luxury tax penalties and resetting their repeater tax clock.

But there’s more to it than just tax benefits. By getting below the tax line, the Sixers can now chase bigger names on the buyout market—players who earned above the league-average salary of $11.9 million.

Kenyon understands. The man spent 15 seasons in the NBA with five teams, so yeah, he knows. But it’s still hard to watch. “I understand it’s business, but just going out, man, somebody to believe in him, let him rock out without having to look over his shoulder,” he said on Gil’s Arena.

Through it all, KJ is still putting in the work. The 6-foot-6 forward is in his fifth NBA season, averaging 6.4 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 0.8 assists while shooting 61.6% from the field and 38.1% from three. And his father just wants him to keep growing. “He was playing well, man. He worked his a–off over the summer… he just want to play basketball, man,” Kenyon said.

Why James Harden’s trade worries Kenyon Martin

Back in 2023, James Harden wanted out of Philadelphia. To get the deal done, the 76ers sent Harden, P.J. Tucker, and Filip Petrusev to the Clippers. In return, they received a haul of expiring contracts, including Marcus Morris, Robert Covington, Nicolas Batum, and Kenyon Martin Jr. The trade also brought in two future first-round picks, a first-round pick swap, and two second-rounders.

This deal was not only about Harden, though. Before the trade, HoopsHype reported that the Sixers already had over $45 million in cap space. But after moving Tucker—who held an $11.5 million player option for 2024-25—Philly opened up more than $55 million, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks detailed. The financial flexibility gave them a clearer path to retool around their stars.

But in all these moves, Kenyon Martin Jr. never got a real chance to settle in. He started his career with the Rockets and spent three seasons there before bouncing between teams. His best season also came in Houston during 2022-23, when he averaged 12.7 points on 56.9% shooting and 5.5 rebounds over 82 games. That kind of production should have earned him stability.

Instead, he kept moving. In 2023, he landed with the Clippers. By 2024, he was in Philadelphia. And now, he’s heading to Detroit. But Kenyon Martin Sr. believes that if KJ finally gets a chance to stay in one place, if a team would just take a chance with him, KJ Martin Jr. will prove he belongs.