Kenyon Martin To Sign with Chinese Basketball Team

The Denver Nuggets will lose another player to the China Basketball Association. Kenyon Martin, the former No. 1 overall draft pick in 2000 from the University of Cincinnati, is close to agreeing to a one-year contract worth $2.65 million contract with Xingiang Guanghui, according to Yahoo Sports! columnist Adrian Wojnarowski.

Additionally, the Chinese team will pay Martin’s business manager, who is expected to join the veteran forward in China.

Martin was drafted by the New Jersey Nets in 2000, and spent four years there before agreeing to a seven-year deal and was traded to the Denver Nuggets before the 2004-05 season. Although he has dealt with knee injuries throughout his career, Martin would have to settle for a much smaller contract if he were available on the free-agent market.

Martin follows fellow Nuggets Wilson Chandler (a restricted free agent) and J.R. Smith (an unrestricted free agent,) both of whom were restricted free agents, but given the uncertainty of there being a 2011-12 NBA season due to the current lockout, decided to sign in China.

One thing that is interesting to note is that the Chinese basketball season ends in March, so technically these players could possibly sign with an NBA team in late March 2012.

Wilson Chandler has spent time with the New York Knicks before being traded to the Denver Nuggets in the Carmelo Anthony trade earlier this year. Chandler signed with Zhejiang Guangsha in August 2011, while J.R. Smith signed with Zhejiang Golden Bulls. Smith has spent time with the New Orleans Hornets, Chicago Bulls (never played for them), before being traded six days later to the Denver Nuggets in 2006.

However, all three players can return to the Nuggets for the 2012-13 NBA season—assuming that they agree to contracts with the team.