Kenyon Martin made waves over the summer when the Denver Nuggets' free agent forward decided to sign in China during the ongoing NBA lockout. China apparently didn't work out for the former No. 1 overall pick, however, as he's orchestrated a buyout of his contract.
Kenyon Martin Leaves China, But Not Allowed To Return To NBA
Kenyon Martin left his team in China on Thursday. The former Denver Nuggets forward secured a buyout, but won’t be able to return to the NBA until his Chinese team’s season is complete.
Martin bought out of his contract with Xinjiang of the Chinese Basketball Association on Wednesday, according to Yahoo! Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski. He won’t be able to return to the NBA until his former team’s season is complete sometime in March, however, leaving his reasoning for a buyout somewhat intriguing.
Xinjiang is known to have several problems as of late as they recently (surprisingly) fired American head coach Bob Donewald after the team started out its season with a 7-4 record. The team also employs American guard Patty Mills and former NBA big man Mengke Bateer with Martin taking a sort of complementary role as he came off the bench to score 13 points and grab nine rebounds in the team’s most recent game.
Wojnarowski also reported that Martin's buyout sets a precedent for fellow NBA players like J.R. Smith, Wilson Chandler and Aaron Brooks to be stuck in China until their team's season is over, regardless of being able to secure a buyout.
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