The Los Angeles Clippers acquired forward Nick Martinelli on the second night of the 2026 NBA Draft, completing a trade with the Houston Rockets for the No. 55 pick and cash considerations, according to NBA insider Shams Charania.
Martinelli was originally selected by the New York Knicks at No. 55 before being moved to the Clippers in the draft-night transaction. The Northwestern forward joins a Clippers organization that already added Keaton Wagler with the No. 5 pick and continued reshaping its roster after finishing the 2025-26 season 42-40 and reaching the Play-In Tournament.
The 6-foot-7 forward developed into one of the most productive players in the Big Ten during his four seasons at Northwestern. As a senior in 2025-26, Martinelli averaged 23.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 35.6 minutes per game while starting all 33 contests.
Martinelli’s final college season also showed major improvement as a shooter. He connected on 51.0% of his field-goal attempts and made 41.7% of his three-point attempts on 3.3 attempts per game. His 23.0 points per game followed a junior season in which he averaged 20.5 points, 6.2 rebounds and 1.7 assists while shooting 47.1% overall.
Over his four-year Northwestern career, Martinelli appeared in 120 games and averaged 14.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.4 assists. He shot 49.1% from the field and 36.2% from three-point range, giving the Clippers a forward with scoring ability and improving perimeter efficiency.
