The 2025-26 version of Caleb Martin isn't the one that Miami Heat fans knew when he was in South Florida. The 30-year-old forward is averaging a career-low 1.8 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game in 10.1 minutes for the Mavericks, shooting 36.1% from the field and 13.3% from three.
Martin signed a four-year, $32 million deal with Philadelphia in the 2024 offseason, although Miami wanted him back. He spent half a season with the Sixers, averaging 9.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.1 steals per game, before he was traded to Dallas for Quentin Grimes. At that point, he was dealing with a hip strain, which led the Mavericks to amend the deal and receive a second-round pick.
It was another mistake made by Nico Harrison, not nearly as big as the one that he made when he traded Luka Dončić to the Lakers for Anthony Davis, but still one that hasn't aged well. Martin wasn't at his best — or close to it — when Dallas traded for him, and he hasn't been able to recover to his usual self.
Martin still has three seasons on his contract, including this one. He has a $9.4 million player option for 2027-28 that, based on how he has played, he will pick up. The Mavericks are stuck.
Former Heat forward Caleb Martin is struggling for the Mavericks
If Dallas could, it would trade him before the Feb. 5 deadline, but he has no value. The Mavericks aren't in a position to waive-and-stretch his contract, either. You have to imagine that they'll find a way to offload his contract sometime over the next couple of years, though. It's also hard to imagine that he'll continue to shoot as poorly as he has been.
Maybe things would've been different for Martin if he had stayed with the Sixers, as he had been doing fine there before last year's trade, minus the injury, of course. Harrison brought him to Dallas, thinking he would be an upgrade over Grimes. The Mavericks didn't let Harrison stick around long enough to see just how poorly of a trade it was. He saw enough, though.
To think that Martin could've been in Miami all along on the five-year, $65 million deal that the Heat offered. In retrospect, his turning that offer down played in the organization's favor. That doesn't mean that fans enjoy seeing him struggle as he has. Hopefully, things will start to turn a corner for him, even though it doesn't look good right now.