PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia 76ers continued to build around their star trio of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George with the addition of free-agent forward Caleb Martin, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Saturday.
Martin intends to sign the multi-year contract shortly after the league’s moratorium on signings is lifted, said the person who spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal was not yet official.
Terms were not yet available.
The 28-year-old Martin averaged 8.5 points over five seasons, including the last three with the Miami Heat. It was in Miami where Martin developed a reputation of raising his game. He averaged 10 points and shot 35% from 3-point range.
He’ll likely fill a starting spot left open in Philly, where the 76ers have totally revamped their roster after another early postseason exit. They spent more than $400 million to sign George away from the Clippers and keep Maxey, their homegrown All-Star guard, in the fold for five more years. Team President Daryl Morey also signed free-agents Andre Drummond and Eric Gordon and re-signed Kelly Oubre Jr.
Martin was undrafted coming out of college at NC State. He entered the NBA with almost no guarantees. He had to play in the G League. Charlotte let him go after two seasons.
Martin then became the breakout star of the 2023 NBA playoffs when he pushed the Heat to the NBA Finals.
Now, he should be the starting power forward for a franchise that hasn’t won an NBA title since 1983.
Martin averaged 19.3 points on 60% shooting and scored a playoff-career-high 26 points on Boston’s home floor in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals. He was solid in the first two rounds that season against No. 1 Milwaukee and No. 5 New York, averaging 10.8 points on nearly 53% shooting.
Martin’s postseason numbers were exactly what the 76ers looked for as they filled out a roster that was about empty at the end of the season except for Embiid and Maxey. The 76ers also waived forward Paul Reed, the person said.
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