1:08pm: Martin’s new deal is official, the Heat confirmed in a press release.
11:23am: The Heat are signing forward Caleb Martin to a standard contract, reports Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). Martin had spent the 2021/22 season up until this point on a two-way deal, but wouldn’t be playoff-eligible without a promotion to the 15-man roster.
Charania says the Heat are signing the 26-year-old for “the remainder of the season,” suggesting there will be no additional years tacked onto his new contract, and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald confirms (via Twitter) it’s a rest-of-season, minimum-salary deal. That means Martin will be eligible for restricted free agency at season’s end.
Martin, who spent his first two NBA seasons in Charlotte, signed a two-way deal with the Heat in September and has emerged as a reliable rotation player for the club. In 44 games (22.9 MPG), he has averaged 9.5 PPG, 4.0 RPG, and 1.0 SPG on .506/.379/.739 shooting.
It has been a foregone conclusion for much of the season that Martin would eventually be promoted to the standard roster, but Miami’s proximity to the luxury tax line has delayed the move. After trading KZ Okpala to Oklahoma City last week, the Heat have more breathing room below the tax threshold, creating a path for Martin’s promotion.
Once Martin’s new deal is official, the Heat will have a full 15-man roster, at least for the time being. The team entered the week with two 15-man roster openings, but signed Haywood Highsmith to a 10-day contract. Martin’s promotion will open up a two-way contract slot for Miami.
Well earned. Also guessing they couldn’t really offer him much to get multiple years, but he could now potentially be worth decent money in free agency, or they can use him as part of some sort of sign and trade, especially now that they have the extra asset they can trade
Now the only way to bring back Dragic is to get rid of Morris, which is what I was essentially saying the last few days
Yessir, love to see the UNR alumni thrive
Wolfpack for life
I’ve said this story before but I met the twins in the lombardi locker room one summer (i was a cpr and lifeguard instructor) they were awesome guys and talked to me about hooping and playing together. Looking back its so cool because they played together in the league too