The Washington Wizards have found solid replacement players from the NBA Development League in the past and, in a move that shouldn't be surprising, they're going with what's worked once again. After a 10-day testing period of Edwin Ubiles, Washington has decided to dig into the D-League once again.
Cartier Martin is expected to sign with the Wizards, according to a league source, after playing 52 games with the team last season. Martin decided to play in China while the NBA lockout situation was being sorted out, but returned to the Iowa Energy earlier this month.
The 6-foot-7 swingman out of Kansas State averaged 26.3 points and 4.7 rebounds in 30 games while playing in China and has continued to play well since returning stateside, scoring 18.3 points per contest with Iowa. He'll be the 44th call-up of the season.
The best part about Martin's seven-game D-League stint was probably his jumper as he hit 15 of his 27 attempts from beyond the arc. He's shown to be a capable shooter from beyond the arc in the past considering he's made 37 percent of his attempts from three-point territory at the NBA level, but he's never been as hot from deep as he is right now.
It's a great move for the Wizards to call-up Martin considering he's familiar with the majority of the players and has already shown he can play in the NBA. The Wizards' other options, if anyone was interested, were likely among the players listed here.
And, for what it's worth, Ubiles is expected to return to the D-League's Dakota Wizards while looking to earn another call-up before the season is complete.