One of the Miami Heat’s most coveted free agent targets over this past offseason was re-signing Caleb Martin. The two-way wing made a name for himself under coach Erik Spoelstra and thrived in the team’s system. But once it came time for Martin to make his next significant career move— he balked.
The Heat originally offered the versatile role player a contract that was worth around double the amount of his eventual new Philadelphia 76ers contract. Ultimately, Martin denied Miami’s initial offer and bet on himself to earn even more when testing the open market.
When he found out that the grass isn't greener in terms of finances elsewhere, he had no choice but to settle for the next best offer with Philadelphia. Due to financial restrictions, the Heat weren’t able to put that first offer back on the table once Martin realized.
Instead, he agreed to a four-year $32 million deal to join Miami’s rival in the ‘city of brotherly love.’
Fast forward months later and just days before the 2025 NBA trade deadline, the 76ers re-routed Martin to the Dallas Mavericks.
Dallas is sending Quentin Grimes
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 4, 2025
and Philadelphia's 2025 second-round pick back to the 76ers for Martin, sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/4vSqohB03U
The details of Philadelphia’s decision to move Martin so early into his Sixers tenure is still unclear. Perhaps they were targeting more guard depth around their rising superstar in Tyrese Maxey, thus explaining the Quentin Grimes acquisition in the deal.
Despite Martin’s valuable point of attack defense on the perimeter, he showcased the same flaws in his game over in Philly as he did as a member of the Heat. He is a streaky shooter, and it leads to an inconsistent team run offense for anyone.
There are flashes of 20+ point performances on impressive efficiency, just to put up a few offensive duds in the following handful of games. That pattern continued to rinse and repeat as he started his post-Miami career.
Even with these struggles, Martin always was viewed as a crucial rotation piece under Spoelstra. He was one of those role players that posed as a perfect fit in Miami’s schemes. And his story from undrafted standout to working his way into a starting spot always fit the “Heat Culture” architecture.
None of the fanbase will ever forget Martin’s underdog emergence into a postseason riser, especially in taking down the Boston Celtics over the years. But being bounced around with things not working out so quick with the 76ers has to be viewed as a Heat win.