Tyrese Martin Talks Career Revival with Nets

The Brooklyn Nets have found themselves in the midst of a roster rebuild, having shipped out several of their key players over the past few seasons for building blocks and future draft stock. Given the openings in their roster year over year, it allows them to sign potentially undervalued players who need an opportunity to prove themselves, which could've described where Tyrese Martin was last off-season.

Brooklyn wasn't the first stop for Martin in his NBA career, as he spent a year with the Atlanta Hawks during the 2022-23 season, only managing to make 16 appearances for roughly four minutes per outing. After this short stint with Atlanta, the 26-year-old moved on to the Iowa Wolves in the G League, where he'd spend a single season, putting up 16.9 points per game on 44.9 percent shooting from the field.

Martin would get his second chance to crack it in the NBA when the Nets signed him to an Exhibit 10 contract in September 2024, which later led to a two-way deal that was converted to a regular contract with Brooklyn in late February. The conversion came after the 26-year-old had a successful stint in Long Island, averaging 14 points across his three games in the G League's regular season. In the 36 games with the Nets prior to his promotion to the NBA, Martin was averaging 7.8 points per game on 39.1 percent from the field.

Martin recently spoke about his second chance in the NBA, highlighting his work ethic and the opportunities that Brooklyn head coach Jordi Fernandez gave him, feeling that both were what gave him that opportunity.

"I was probably on my way out of my NBA career if you think about it," said Martin. "Then I just stuck with the grind, and the work started showing in games, then I got an opportunity." "They say you just need one coach to believe in you, and I feel like Jordi [Fernandez] was that guy for me and gave me a chance."

Apart from the number of appearances that Fernandez gave Martin, his minutes on the court are far more than he was getting with the Hawks back during his one season run in the State Farm Arena. The 26-year-old is quick to point out that his story is one that comes full circle, reinstating that his hard work and support from the coaching staff got him to where he is now.

"When you come from a situation to where I was, you think about it, probably a year ago today, I was playing in the G League, season was over, and I didn't know my plans going forward. I wasn't signed, I had no summer league team I was playing on, I didn't know where I was going," explained Martin. "But you look back a year later, I'm finishing - starting an NBA game with 20 points, Game 82. Things just come full circle and you just stick with the work, when the coaches instill confidence in you like that, it shows."

Tyrese Martin's future in the Barclays Center isn't a guarantee, given that the 2025-26 season has a club option attached to it, meaning that it'll be left to the Nets' front office to decide on his future with their franchise. They'll have until June 29 to make a decision on the matter, according to Spotrac.