Kenyon Martin Signs 1-Year, $2.5 Million Contract With Los Angeles Clippers, According To Report

Veteran forward Kenyon Martin, who spent seven seasons as a member of the Denver Nuggets, agreed to a deal with the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday, and now some details of that agreement are beginning to emerge:

Martin’s agent, Andy Miller, confirmed Friday that the sides reached agreement. The deal, believed to be worth the mini mid-level exception of $2.5 million, is expected to be finalized as soon as Martin passes a physical.

Martin had been playing basketball in China for the Xinjiang Flying Tigers; he was cleared to return to an NBA team on Thursday.

Related: Nuggets at Clippers recap: No more Clippers highlight reel ...

Martin started 361 games for the Nuggets from 2004 through the 2011 season. The 34-year-old averaged 8.6 points and 6.2 rebounds per game in his final season with Denver.

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Kenyon Martin Signs With Los Angeles Clipppers, According To Report

According to the Los Angeles Times, former Denver Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin has signed with the Los Angeles Clippers. The former No. 1 overall draft pick received clearance from FIBA Thursday afternoon to leave his contract with the Xinjiang Tigers in China's top basketball league, effectively making him a free agent on Friday.

Martin signed with the Tigers during the 2011 NBA lockout, but the Chinese Basketball Association refused to release him of his contract when the negotiations suddenly improved. The Times reports that the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks were all interested in the 34-year-old Martin's services.

The 11-year pro played with the Nuggets from 2004-05 through the 2010-11 season, and he has averaged 13.5 points per game and 7.2 rebounds per game on his career.

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Kenyon Martin Rumors: FIBA Clearance Challenged By Chinese Basketball Association

Kenyon Martin hasn't quite made it out of the Chinese Basketball Association to rejoin the NBA yet, and the situation is becoming more tense with each passing day. Martin had submitted a request for release from his contract in China, and after Chinese basketball officials neglected to response to the request, FIBA intervened and provided Martin with clearance to leave China and pursue a new contract in the NBA. Now Chinese officials are reportedly challenging FIBA's grant of clearance and are demanding that Martin play out his contract in the Chinese Basketball Association, which runs at least until the regular season ends on February 15th (the post season ends on March 28th if his team made an unexpected run), according to Yahoo!'s Adrian Wojnarowski.

The resistance by Chinese Basketball Association officials is a frustrating development not only for Martin, but also for his former teammates from the Denver Nuggets, J.R. Smith and Wilson Chandler. By all accounts,they are all very eager to get back the NBA as soon as possible.

When FIBA first granted clearance to Martin, the L.A. Clippers, Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks emerged as potential fits.

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Kenyon Martin Rumors: FIBA Reportedly Grants Forward Clearance To Sign And Play Immediately In NBA

In a somewhat surprising move, Kenyon Martin appears to be an unrestricted NBA free agent able to sign immediately with any team in the league after FIBA granted the forward a release, according to multiple reports. FIBA intervened and granted the clearance after martin had agreed, under the terms of his buyout, to not sign with an NBA team until his Chinese Basketball Association team finished its season in mid-March.

The Los Angeles Clippers, the Miami Heat and the Atlanta Hawks all have interest in signing Martin. The New York Knicks might have interest as well since Carmelo Anthony was always a big fan of playing with Martin. In Los Angeles, Martin would be able to reunite with another former Nuggets player, Chauncey Billups.

Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski believes Martin could decide over the weekend and take a physical on Monday with whichever team he chooses.

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Kenyon Martin Rumors: Los Angeles Clippers Reportedly Interested In Signing Former Nuggets Forward

Kenyon Martin appears to be getting close to choosing the NBA team he will sign with once he is free from the commitment of not playing while the Chinese Basketball Association's season is in session. The Los Angeles Clippers are one such team Martin could sign with, and the team is willing to extend its $2.5 million mid-level exemption to pick him up, reports the Los Angeles Times' Broderick Turner.

Martin would be able to join former Denver Nuggets teammate Chauncey Billups with the Clippers, as Billups was let go by the New York Knicks before the season started. However, the Knicks are one of the teams also in pursuit of Martin.

The Times reports that a decision could come this weekend.

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Kenyon Martin Rumors: Former Nuggets Forward Being Courted By Knicks, Heat And Others

The Denver Nuggets and Kenyon Martin long ago parted ways when the free agent forward decided to sign a contract with a Chinese Basketball Association, but it appears that Martin is closing in on his new team. He is being pursued by five teams: the New York Knicks, the Miami Heat, the Atlanta Hawks, the Los Angeles Clippers and the San Antonio Spurs, reports Chris Broussard of ESPN.

Martin, though, is unable to sign and then play an NBA game until his Chinese team completes its season, which should come in mid-March. This was part of the agreement he made with the team when the sides agreed to a buyout. Martin apparently has Carmelo Anthony in his corner since the two were long-time teammates while playing for the Nuggets.

Broussard reports that Martin wants to play for a contender who will give him plenty of playing time. The Knicks, though, don't look like that destination right now.

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NBA Rumors: Kenyon Martin Has Carmelo Anthony Pulling For Him To Join Knicks

While Kenyon Martin has been bought out of his contract by his Chinese Basketball Association team, don't think the Denver Nuggets are going to look to bring him back. First, we already know that he has agreed to not play basketball until his CBA team finishes its season in March. Second, Carmelo Anthony is lobbying months ahead of time for the New York Knicks to sign Martin whenever possible, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post.

According to Berman's source, Martin's first choice is the Knicks because of the close relationship he developed with 'Melo during theur years with the Nuggets. Also, the Knicks have a $2.5 million exemption they can use to sign Martin, having signed guard Baron Davis to the league minimum earlier in December.

Whatever happens, the Nuggets won't see Kenyon Martin again until the 2012-2013 season.

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2011 NBA Free Agency: Kenyon Martin, Chinese Team Agree To Buyout

Ex-Denver Nuggets power forward Kenyon Martin has agreed to a buyout with his Chinese team, the Xinjiang Flying Tigers, according to Yahoo!'s Adrian Wojnarowski. While this is definitely good news for Martin (and his agent), it doesn't mean that Martin will be able to return to the NBA immediately.

According to Wojnarowski, Martin will be unable to return to an NBA team until after Xinjiang's season ends, which may last into late February or early March depending on if the team makes, and advances in, the China Basketball Association's playoffs. Once the season ends, Martin will be able to receive a waiver from FIBA allowing him to return to the NBA. It's unclear at the moment whether or not Martin will be able to negotiate with NBA teams while Xinjiang's season is still in progress.

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NBA Rumors 2011: Chinese Team Considers Releasing Kenyon Martin?

When the NBA lockout didn't appear to have an end in sight, numerous NBA players decided to leave the U.S. and pursue career opportunities throughout the world, in places like Italy, Russia and China. But the Chinese league established a policy stating that American players under contract in China couldn't return to the NBA at the end of the lockout without completing the season in China first. 

This has apparently created a conflict for the Xinjiang Flying Tigers, the employers of former Denver Nuggets player Kenyon Martin. According to Marc Stein of ESPN, the Chinese team is trying to release Martin from his current contract in an attempt to shake up its roster, but the league has threatened to punish the team if it does release Martin.

Stein adds that Martin wouldn't be able to sign with an NBA team regardless of whether Xinjiang releases him without receiving a FIBA letter of clearance from the Chinese team, so Martin's clearly being put in a tough position here. The NBA season starts in just a few days, so it'll be interesting to see how this situation unfolds.

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Kenyon Martin Close To Signing Record Contract With Chinese Team, According To Report

Make that three Denver Nuggets who will play in China for the upcoming season. Kenyon Martin will join Wilson Chandler and J.R. Smith in the Chinese Basketball Association. According to Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post, Martin will sign the richest deal in Chinese Basketball Association. Xingiang Guanghui will likely pay him over $3 million for this season, which is what J.R. Smith was expected to receive (though it has not been confirmed) from his Chinese team.

Martin, like Chandler and Smith, will not be able to return to the NBA until the end of his contract. The CBA does not provide for opt-out clauses. If the NBA does have a 2011-12 season, Martin could conceivably sign for the final weeks of the season in March and April.

Martin is an unrestricted free agent once he returns from China and likely was heading out of Denver. The Nuggets have Al Harrington or could turn to rookie Kenneth Faried at power forward.

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Kenyon Martin Considering Playing In China For Upcoming Season, According To Report

Denver Nuggets free agent Kenyon Martin is considering signing a contract with a Chinese Basketball Association team. If so he would likely be the third Nugget to head over to China. Wilson Chandler has already done it and J.R. Smith is close.