Early in the offseason, forward Caleb Martin declined his $7.1 million player option with the Miami Heat before eventually signing a four-year, $32 million deal with the Philadelphia 76ers. On Monday, Martin, who spent his best three seasons as a pro with Miami, makes his return to Kaseya Center for the fist time.
Martin opened up to the media Sunday in Miami, describing the experience being back as “bittersweet.”
“I had a lot of great memories here, unforgettable memories,” Martin said, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald. “I still got lifelong relationships that I still have with guys. This is my second home.”
In three seasons with the Heat, Martin logged 195 career games, including 84 starts. By now, Martin’s journey with Miami with Jay-Z and Caron Butler is well-documented, but he parlayed a two-way contract with the Heat into being one of the better role players in the NBA during his time in the 305.
Martin averaged 9.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists, shooting 46.3 percent from the floor, 36.8 percent from 3-point range and 78.4 percent from the free-throw line. He was one of the most crucial players to their NBA Finals run back in 2023, specifically showing out in the Eastern Conference Finals against Boston by averaging 19.3 points and 6.4 rebounds on 60.2/48.9/87.5 shooting splits.
The 29-year-old dealt with knee tendinosis to begin last season and could never find his footing. He still inked a solid contract in free agency. However, according to Chiang, he acknowledged and confirmed the speculation that he and his agency left a lot of money on the table from the Heat after turning down an extension that would’ve essentially paid him $65 million over the next five seasons.
“It’s just hard to explain because there’s a lot of things that went into it,” he said. “Obviously, wanting to find the best situation, wanting to see what’s best for my career, what’s best for me as a player, what’s best for my growth. Not everything is just for the money. But obviously, that was a big part of it, too.
“The decision had to be made before I even had a chance to decide on anything else. That decision coming back here had to be made first without even getting a chance to go into free agency. All you can do is go based off the information that you get back and based off your representation. Whatever information you get back, you kind of make those decisions.
“Obviously, you have people in your corner and people that you listen to, and you try to make the best judgment that you can make based on the information that you have. I was confident in putting that trust in that and believing the right decision would be made. Ultimately, I think I’m where I’m supposed to be. I think things happen for a reason.”
Martin got off to a slow shooting start to begin this season, though he’s averaging 10.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.2 steals across 34.1 minutes per game, a career-high in minutes up to this point. The beleaguered 76ers have dealt with absences to their “Big 3” in Joel Embiid, Paul George and Tyrese Maxey, putting an extra burden on Martin’s shoulders.
The Heat will not be giving him a tribute video on Monday, just like they didn’t for Kyle Lowry or Max Strus, who made their returns last year. His time should be remembered fondly, even if there was an unfortunate end to it. After all, he was another player that thrived in the Heat system when few expected him to. That alone is a badge of honor.
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