Kevin Martin On His Way To Rockets For Tracy McGrady, Carl Landry

One of the reasons the trade deadline is so interesting is that trades can come out of nowhere. Last night, as most of the East coast was sleeping, we saw one of those out-of-nowhere trades come together in a hurry.

According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, the Sacramento Kings have decided to trade Kevin Martin, previously seen as a keeper, to the Houston Rockets in a package for Tracy McGrady and his $23 million expiring contract.

The full trade has Martin, Kenny Thomas, Hilton Armstrong and Sergio Rodriguez going to the Rockets for McGrady, Sixth Man Of The Year candidate Carl Landry, Joey Dorsey and cash. There’s also a rumored second part of the deal, in which the Knicks will acquire McGrady from Sacramento and Rodriguez for Houston in exchange for the Jared Jeffries/Jordan Hill/draft picks package discussed earlier in the week.

It’s an interesting trade, that’s for sure. For the Kings, it’s a complete turn from the vibes they were giving teams about Martin’s availability. For the Rockets, it’s a sign that they were willing to give up more than just McGrady’s expiring contract to bring in a big-time player. Landry has had an outstanding season and is a genuine asset for the Kings in the future, even though the Kings already have two young frontcourt building blocks in Jason Thompson and Spencer Hawes.

For more discussion on the proposed trade, visit SB Nation’s Kings blog Sactown Royalty and SB Nation’s Rockets blog The Dream Shake.