Rockets exercising team option on Kenyon Martin Jr.

Martin, 22, has been with Houston for the last three years and had arguably his best NBA season in 2022-23, appearing in all 82 games and making 49 starts. The 6-foot-6 forward established new career highs in points (12.7), rebounds (5.5), and assists (1.5) per game, as well as field-goal percentage (56.9%).

While the Rockets’ decision to pick up Martin’s option may look like a no-brainer on paper, it wasn’t a lock. Exercising the option will put the former second-round pick on track for unrestricted free agency in 2024, whereas turning it down and issuing him a qualifying offer would’ve allowed Houston to negotiate with Martin as a restricted free agent this summer.

Still, there are plenty of reasons why it made sense for the Rockets to pick up the option. Keeping Martin on a minimum-salary cap hit will allow the club to maximize its league-high cap room, which projects to exceed $60M. Martin will also immediately become eligible to be extended or traded — he has consistently been mentioned in trade rumors for over a year.

In other Rockets news, according to Iko (Twitter link), the team will also issue two-way qualifying offers to Darius Days and Trevor Hudgins, making them restricted free agents.

Because Days and Hudgins were NBA rookies in 2022-23 and finished the season on two-way contracts, their qualifying offers will each be the equivalent of another one-year, two-way deal with a small partial guarantee.