Sources: 36ers sign American big man Jarell Martin

American big-man Jarell Martin has agreed to a one-year deal with the Adelaide 36ers, sources told ESPN.

The impending signing is a return to the NBL for Martin who spent two seasons with the Sydney Kings from 2020-2022, helping lead the team to the 2022 championship.

The 6'10 big-man has since spent time across Israel and Europe, playing with Galatasaray over the 2023-24 season, where he averaged 9.2 points and 5.1 rebounds per game.

The 36ers' hunt for their import power forward came down to Martin and Zylan Cheatham, sources said. Cheatham agreed to terms with the Nagoya Diamond Dolphins over the past few days, sources said, with the 36ers then turning their full attention to Martin.

The priority for the 36ers was to add an import who complemented the other high-level players on its roster, while also being able to slide up to the five-spot effectively. There was also value put on someone who had been in the NBL previously; Martin ticked all of those boxes.

Martin was the 25th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, spending multiple seasons with the Memphis Grizzlies to begin his professional career.

The signing of Martin completes the 36ers' roster for the 2024-25 NBL season. He joins Isaac Humphries, Dejan Vasiljevic, Kendric Davis, Alex Starling, Ben Griscti, Jason Cadee, Lat Mayen, Nick Marshall, Jacob Rigoni, and Sunday Dech on Scott Ninnis' roster.