The Philadelphia 76ers have been one of the more active teams in free agency as they have been able to take advantage of the cap space they created thus far. The Sixers have done a terrific job of building their roster thus far with the addition of Paul George leading the way.
An addition that’s just as important is Caleb Martin in free agency. The Sixers were able to lure him away from the Miami Heat on a deal as he will likely slot in as their starting power forward once the season starts in October. He has played the 4 at times for the Heat and he did a lot of the little things for Miami to get the job done in South Florida.
Now’s the time to look at the deal and see how Martin can help the Sixers:
Contract details
Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the Sixers were able to lure Martin on a 4-year $32 million deal. Martin reportedly turned down a big offer from the Heat to join Philadelphia.
A role player that can make big plays in big games
The Heat made the finals in 2023 as the No. 8 seed mostly due to the phenomenal play of Jimmy Butler, but Martin played a key role in that success. He shot 42.3% from deep during the playoffs showing off his ability to knock down big shots in big playoff moments and he was a guy who Miami could rely upon. He was that role player who stepped up when the time called for it and showed off some big game guts. That’s something the Sixers have not had in recent playoff runs.
Playing well against the Boston Celtics
The Sixers will have to chase down the Celtics in the Eastern Conference if they want to reach their desired destination in the 2024-25 season. In order to do that, the pressure will be on the likes of George, Joel Embiid, and Tyrese Maxey, but it will help to have a guy like Martin on their side.
Martin scored a career playoff high 26 points in Game 7 on the road to help the Heat beat the Celtics in the 2023 Eastern Conference finals. He averaged 13.6 points and shoots 44% from deep in his career against Boston and that will come in handy come playoff time.
Martin on the defensive end
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Martin is one of the rangier defenders in the NBA as he can defend 1 through 4. Despite standing at 6-foot-5, he plays much taller than his height and it’s why he will likely slide into Philadelphia’s starting lineup as the power forward. The Sixers will look to him to not only defend players much bigger than him, but also to switch out on the perimeter and defend guards in an effort to set a ton on that end of the floor.
Final grade
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Overall, Martin is going to be impactful during his time with the Sixers. He was a huge piece of Miami’s success in its run to the Eastern Conference finals in 2022 and to the finals in 2023. Even in the 2024 playoffs for the Heat, he shot 44% from deep in Round 1 against the Celtics. One has to figure he will do the little things in order to help Philadelphia win games and give the Sixers a boost they haven’t gotten from a role player in a long time.
Final grade: B-plus
