There is a possibility, if not quite a probability, that the Nets’ Game 7 loss to Detroit on Thursday might have been Kenyon Martin’s last in a Net uniform.
CEO Rod Thorn has sung his praises, coach Lawrence Frank gave him an emphatic vote of confidence, and the restricted free agent himself wants to stay – for the right price. Now the question is: Will new owner Bruce Ratner meet that price, likely a maximum-salary deal?
“Kenyon’s a huge reason for our success,” Frank said of Martin. “We [want] nothing more than to see him back. If it was my money, [I’d pay him]. It’s out of my hands, but in casting my ballot, I’m 100 percent behind bringing him back.”
Martin said he wants to return.
“I love it here,” he said. “I love the guys, the organization, Rod, the coach. This is my No. 1 choice to be back here. But it’s out of my control. There are guys making way more money than me. I just want what I feel I’m worth.
“Everybody’s on the same page. Rod told you how he felt. But at the end of the day it’s not his decision. He can go to bat for me until he’s blue in the face, but if a higher power says no, then it’s no.”
Martin turned down a $66 million extension last summer. The Nets can offer him a seven-year, $105 million deal, or a six-year, $86 million pact, and he said he’s worth the max.
“I just want what’s coming to me. I worked hard every day,” said Martin, who won’t wait to talk with other teams if the Nets offer him the max during their exclusive negotiating window July 1-14. “There’s no need for me to go, visit, talk or anything to anyone else.”
Agent Brian Dyke refused comment, and Martin was coy about whether a hefty but non-max deal would do. The Nets would likely match any offer by another club. He could just sign a one-year qualifying deal, gambling on cashing in as an unrestricted free agent after next season.
“He’s probably our best defender, he’s one of the best rebounders in the NBA and he’s an All-Star,” said Richard Jefferson. “You never want to lose an All-Star, especially when he’s 25 years old.”