The Philadelphia 76ers understood the assignment this summer. After injuries dropped them to the Eastern Conference’s No. 7 seed last spring and they were eliminated by the New York Knicks in the first round, the Sixers realized that they needed to virtually clean house around incumbent All-Stars Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey in free agency. And by and large, that’s what they did.
It will come as no surprise that the headline deal of the summer — not just for Philadelphia, but for anybody — in terms of a player switching teams was the Sixers’ four-year, $211.6 million offer it tendered to nine-time All-Star combo forward Paul George, effectively luring the 6-foot-8 Fresno State product away from his hometown Los Angeles Clippers.
But George was hardly the only new or returning piece Philadelphia team president Daryl Morey managed to bring in.
The team brought in longtime former Miami Heat forward Caleb Martin on a four-year, $35 million contract. Philadelphia also signed reserve center Andre Drummond, veteran shooting guard Eric Gordon, wing KJ Martin, forward Guerschon Yabusele, and point guard Reggie Jackson for some reason.
Read more: 76ers Continue To Add, Land Veteran Forward in Free Agency
Among returning players, Philadelphia brought back restricted free agency Maxey on a maximum deal and extended Embiid. The Sixers also re-signed small forward Kelly Oubre, Jr. and Philadelphia native Kyle Lowry.
Donte DiVincenzo #0 of the Minnesota Timberwolves passes the ball as Andre Drummond #5 of the Philadelphia 76ers, Caleb Martin #16 of the Philadelphia 76ers, and Paul George #8 of the Philadelphia 76ers defend in the first half of play during a preseason game at Wells Fargo Arena on October 11, 2024, in Des Moines, Iowa.
David Purdy/Getty Images
The 29-year-old Martin has the distinction of perhaps being the second-biggest surprise free agent signing to join the Sixers this summer. He’s exactly what any championship hopeful needs: a switchy wing who prioritizes defense but can be trusted to make an open jumper.
Per Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Martin appreciates exactly what his role needs to be on contending clubs.
“That’s how you fit in,” Martin said. “That’s how you complete the pieces of the puzzle. If everybody’s got the same agenda, averaging 20 points, playing the most minutes, getting up the most shots, that’s not how you complete a team.”
Through three games for the 1-2 Sixers, the 6-foot-5 wing is averaging 13.3 points on .406/.143/.722 shooting splits, 8.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 0.7 blocks a night. That’s a significant dip in efficiency from his last season with the Heat, where he averaged 10.0 points on .431/.349/.778 shooting splits.
Given that Martin is a 35.5 percent career 3-point shooter on 2.9 long range tries, it seems likely that he’ll improve that paltry conversion rate from beyond the arc this season.
“And anybody who knows when they are putting together a good team, somebody’s got to sacrifice,” Martin added. “Multiple people got to sacrifice. And I’m just one of those guys that’s willing to do that even though I know I have more capabilities.”
Martin was unselected in the 2019 NBA Draft out of Nevada, so he ultimately inked an Exhibit 10 training camp agreement with the Charlotte Hornets. His performance in training camp inspired the Hornets to promote him to a two-way deal, and then a contract on Charlotte’s 15-man standard roster.
Following a choppy first two seasons with the Hornets, Martin was cut prior to the 2021-22 NBA season. He inked another two-way contract, this time with the Miami Heat, and was eventually promoted to another standard deal in Feb. of that same season.
He fully proved he was an NBA-caliber player during his next three seasons in Miami. Ultimately, he posted averages of 9.6 points on a .463/.368/.784 slash line, 4.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.9 steals, and 0.5 blocks across his 195 regular season contests (84 starts), while playing a critical role on a pair of Heat clubs that went to consecutive Eastern Conference Finals in 2022 and 2023, including the 2023 NBA Finals.
“I’ve shown that on the biggest stages already, what I’m capable of, especially putting the ball in the hole,” Martin said of his offensive ability. “But I understand that’s not going to be my role. That’s not going to be what I’m asked to do every night, and I’m OK with that.”
Embiid and George have both missed each of the Kings’ first three games to start the season. Martin will have less of an offensive burden whenever they do return. As Philadelphia gets healthier, the team seems likely to emerge as one of the East’s big threats.
“Scoring, that comes with minutes, rhythm, touches,” Martin continued. “It’s so much harder to do the other side of it where you’re getting asked to sacrificial cut, set screens, pick up 94 feet, bring energy every time. Whenever the group is down, you have to be whatever you can be to bring the group up … [you have to be the guy] that gets the engine going for the group.”
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