NBA Trade Rumors: Why 'K-Mart' Deal Is Good for Clippers, Lob City

After opting to sign a deal overseas in the face of the NBA lockout, veteran power forward Kenyon Martin has finally returned home and reportedly closed a deal with one of the hottest teams in the league.

According to the LA Times, the Los Angeles Clippers have beaten the likes of the cross-town rival Lakers, the Miami Heat, New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks and San Antonio Spurs in the "K-Mart" sweepstakes.

While the terms of the contract have yet to be disclosed, it is believed that they have agreed upon a mini mid-level deal worth $2.5 million.

As a member of the Denver Nuggets, K-Mart only played 48 games because of a knee injury, but averaged 8.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game in the 2010-11 season.

But what the stat sheet doesn't show are the intangibles like toughness and veteran wisdom that Martin brings, which are invaluable and irreplaceable parts of any team.

So what does this mean for the Los Angeles Clippers?

The most barren part of their roster so far has been the frontcourt.

With Chris Paul, Chauncey Billups, Mo Williams and Randy Foye, guard play has been the least of their worries. 

However, when Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan make their way to the bench, it suddenly looks like a different team.

By adding Martin, the Clippers are killing two birds with one stone, adding a veteran to help teach and tame the young, talented big men, as well as provide solid minutes off the bench—something that Reggie Evans has struggled doing.

Martin has been known throughout his career as an energy guy.  He doesn't do any one thing great, but by playing the game with high energy and high intensity, he's stuck around for a long time.

And for a reason even simpler than stats and age, K-Mart's personality fits right into the Clippers' locker room.  Martin plays with emotion that sometimes tends to get the best of him.

But when those emotions are under control, he uses them to fuel his defensive play, making him one of the perimeter defending big men in the NBA.

Lob City still needs time to gel as a unit, but adding a veteran like K-Mart is definitely a step in the right direction. 

At 13-7, the Clippers dropped to No. 3 in the Western Conference only behind the likes of the deep Denver Nuggets (15-9) and the electrifying Oklahoma City Thunder (17-4).

Martin still has to pass his physical, which is pretty much a given, but once he becomes an official part of the lineup, he'll get right back to knocking down mid-range jumpers and crashing the boards like he's been doing.