"Kenyon Martin to the Clippers?

Chauncey Billups would like to see that happen.

In fact, the Clippers' veteran guard said Saturday that he has reached out to the free-agent forward, a former teammate of his in Denver, about signing with the Clippers.

What are Martin's thoughts about doing so?

"I'll let him tell y'all that," Billups said with a smile.

Asked about reports that the Clippers are one of a handful of teams that have contacted Martin, Coach Vinny Del Negro declined to go into specifics.

"Kenyon is an experienced guy that knows how to play, can play some [power forward], play some [center]," Del Negro said. "He brings a lot of athleticism …"

Del Negro neither confirmed nor denied that he has reached out to Martin.

Financially, the Clippers could make a strong play for the 34-year-old Martin, an 11-year NBA veteran.

They have two trade exceptions they can use to sign a player, one for $3.8 million and another for $2.7 million that were acquired in their deal for Chris Paul. They also have what's called a mini mid-level exception for $2.5 million, and, lastly, the Clippers have a 14-man roster, leaving one spot open.

"He's very valuable," Billups said of Martin. "Of course, he comes from winning stock. He's been to the [NBA] Finals twice. He has great ability. He is a leader. One thing I know about Kenyon, he's a winner. He'll do whatever it takes to win. He's one of the great one-on-one defensive players for a big man I've played with. And, contrary to what everybody believes, he's a really good dude."

Martin can sign with an NBA team as soon as the team he signed with in China, the Xinjiang Guanghui Flying Tigers, completes its season."