Kenyon Martin had received clearance by FIBA, the international basketball governing body, this week to sign with an NBA team after the Chinese Basketball Association had reportedly failed to respond to a request to leave from the veteran power forward. But Yahoo!'s Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Chinese officials are fighting FIBA's clearance and are demanding that Martin remain ineligible to sign with an NBA team until his CBA team's season ends, likely in two weeks unless they make a playoff run.
Wojnarowski also reports that the other American players in China, including Martin's longtime Denver Nuggets teammate J.R. Smith, are irate about the situation because it has made it more difficult for them to reach a deal to return to the NBA early.
The L.A. Clippers, Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks are reportedly top options for Martin, an experienced defender and former No. 1 pick. He has spent his entire NBA career with the New Jersey Nets and Nuggets.