Free agent forward Caleb Martin is planning to sign with the Sixers, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. To help make space for the veteran forward, the Sixers are planning to waive Paul Reed‘s non-guaranteed contract, Wojnarowski reports.
Martin brings playoff experience to Philadelphia as a piece that could easily fill in off the bench or in the starting lineup. Over the past three seasons with Miami, Martin has averaged 9.6 points and 4.4 rebounds across 195 games (84 starts). He was especially critical to the Heat’s run to the NBA Finals in 2022-23, where he averaged 19.3 points on 60.2% shooting from the field and 48.9% from deep in the seven-game Eastern Conference Finals series against Boston. He nearly came away with the Eastern Conference Finals MVP award for that performance.
As Wojnarowski observes, Martin’s 13.6 points per game against the Celtics for his career (playoffs and regular season) are his most against any Eastern Conference opponent. As the Sixers continue to revamp their roster around superstar Joel Embiid, they’re adding a piece that’s given the reigning NBA champs problems throughout his career.
Philadelphia’s interest in Martin has become clear over the past few weeks. However, reports suggested Martin sought more than Philadelphia was willing to give. The Heat also had an interest in bringing back the 28-year-old forward and offered him a contract that could have been worth up to $18.1M in 2025-26, which he turned down. While the details of Martin’s contract aren’t yet known, the two sides bridged the negotiation gap.
Meanwhile, the Sixers are moving on from Reed, their former No. 58 overall draft pick in 2020. Reed has evolved into a serviceable backup in the frontcourt over the past few seasons. In 2023-24, he averaged 7.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 0.8 steals and 1.0 blocks, appearing in all 82 of Philadelphia’s regular-season games. However, his $7.7M contract for next season was fully non-guaranteed and the Sixers will likely use that newfound flexibility to help sign Martin.