Most big names from the class of 2004 didn't sign extensions this summer. Kevin Martin did. Phil Jasner of the Philadelphia Daily News talked to Martin last week about why he signed.
"Ever since I walked in here, from Day 1 [the Kings] showed loyalty to me," Martin said when the Sixers were in Sacramento at the start of their six-game Western swing that continues tonight against the Los Angeles Lakers. "They came with a fair offer, and we were fair to them. We felt, long term, it would be a good situation, to build me in to their future."
As for Iguodala and the others . . .
"They all have their reasons," Martin said. "I can't speak for all of them. That's their decision. They have to live with it.
"I had to get the stress off my back, the stress of playing during a contract year. They think about that every day when they wake up. It's their life. If they have a couple of bad games, they might think [negatively]. It just messes with you mentally.
"For me, it was good to get it out of the way. For them, it wasn't."
Francisco Garcia is eligible for an extension this summer. Hope he follows Martin's lead.