The Oklahoma City Thunder have lost their third-leading scorer and unofficial replacement for James Harden, shooting guard Kevin Martin, to the Minnesota Timberwolves after testing the free agency market.
Martin has reached a four-year, $28 million contract agreement with the Timberwolves, according to league sources. His agreement comes after the Timberwolves also struck a deal to re-sign Chase Budinger for three years, $16 million.
In his only year with the Thunder, Martin, 30, averaged 14 points on 45 percent shooting. He came to the Thunder as part of the preseason trade that sent Harden to the Houston Rockets.
Prior to signing with the Timberwolves Martin expressed interest in returning to the Thunder, but he was well aware of how unlikely it was for him to receive the contract he was seeking, according to USA Today.
"I know they have tough decisions based on their salary cap and I have tough decisions because I'm 30 years old and I still feel like I'm ... the top shooting guard, actually starting shooting guard, in this free agency," Martin said by phone. "Both sides have positions, and I think we'll face them in the upcoming week and just see how the whole process plays out. As (Thunder general manager) Sam (Presti) told me, I deserve to be in this process."
The Thunder have a payroll that currently stands at about $67 million and will increase quickly if they delve too deep into the league's luxury tax, expected to be near the $72 million mark.
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