Caleb Martin Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Eastern Notes: Garland, Adebayo, Love, Beauchamp

July 31st, 2023 at 9:35pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Cavaliers guard Darius Garland is using the team’s first-r0und playoff loss to New York as fuel for next season, according to Chris Fedor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.

“I’ve been watching a lot of film of it this summer. Just trying to find ways to improve for next year. But now we’ve seen the playoffs,” Garland said. “For a lot of guys, it was our first time in the playoffs, so just getting that playoff experience made us better I think and made us hungrier. Even though we had a good year, I think we can trend up another notch this year and see what’s to come.”

One thing that Garland believes is that the Cavs collectively have to be tougher and stronger in their next postseason appearance.

“We have to be more physical,” Garland said. “I think their physicality took a toll on us in that series. They beat us up. We now know how physical the game is in the playoffs and we know how fast the pace is and every possession matters. Just taking little bits and pieces of that series and trying to put it together for the regular season and then also carry that into the playoffs.”

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Bam Adebayo believes the Heat simply wore down during their long postseason run, he told Leonard Solms in an ESPN story. “I feel like we just came up short because we had [among the most] injuries in the 2022-23 season. [Through] all those ups and downs throughout the season… I feel like fatigue had a toll,” he said of the Finals loss to the Nuggets.
Kevin Love‘s role with the Heat could fluctuate next season, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel opines. Love could start against bigger front lines with Caleb Martin starting against small-ball lineups, provided Martin isn’t dealt. Love could also see some action as the backup center. However, Winderman notes that coach Erik Spoelstra prefers continuity during the regular season.
Bucks guard MarJon Beauchamp had a memorable performance at the Crawsover Pro-Am event in his hometown of Seattle over the weekend, JR Radcliffe of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel notes. Beauchamp scored 83 points in a game at Seattle Pacific University to set an event scoring record. He’s expected to have an expanded role next season with the Bucks after playing 52 regular season games as a rookie.

Southeast Notes: Martin, Butler, Murphy

July 30th, 2023 at 9:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Caleb Martin, if he’s not included in a potential Damian Lillard blockbuster, could end up on the free agent market next summer, as Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel explains. The Heat forward can opt out of his $7.1MM salary for the 2024/25 season next summer. If he plays like he did in the postseason, he would obviously make that move. However, as Winderman notes, Martin may not be quite as effective now that he’s more of a known commodity and will be more of a focus in defensive game plans.

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The Heat could soon find themselves in the same salary cap crunch as the Celtics in the wake of Jaylen Brown‘s huge extension, Winderman opines. Jimmy Butler is likely to pursue a costly extension whether or not the club acquires Lillard and his huge contract. Butler is entering the first year of three-year, $146.4MM million contract that includes a player option in 2025/26. A payroll that includes a Butler extension, along with contracts of Lillard and Bam Adebayo, would result in tough decisions regarding the remainder of the roster.
Dylan Murphy has moved on from an assistant coaching position with the Magic to being the head coach of their G League affiliate, now called the Osceola Magic. The G League team’s GM, Kevin Tiller, said Murphy is ready to show what he can do as a head coach. “Dylan came into the interview overly prepared,” Tiller told the Orlando Sentinel’s Jason Beede. “Knocked it out of the park. Every question we asked, he had a perfect answer. Not that we’re looking for a ‘perfect’ response but just the way he articulated everything, it showed us how much he’s been preparing for this. Longer than just, ‘Hey, you’re going to interview for this next Tuesday.’ This has been years in the making.”
In case you missed it, the Wizards signed Jared Butler to a two-way deal this weekend.

Trade Rumors: Maxey, Lillard, Jazz, Heat

July 3rd, 2023 at 8:54am CST by Luke Adams

The Sixers‘ stance so far this offseason – as conveyed to multiple reporters – has been that Tyrese Maxey is off the table in trade talks, even for a superstar player. Discussing that subject on the latest Hoop Collective podcast, ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, Tim MacMahon, and Tim Bontemps expressed some skepticism about just how untouchable Maxey really is.

“They want you to know that you can’t have Tyrese Maxey,” Windhorst said. “Prime Michael Jordan is available? Don’t call. 25-year-old LeBron James is available? Lose our number. Giannis Antetokounmpo says, ‘I want to be a Sixer’? If Tyrese Maxey is the ask, just keep walking. … I don’t trust them at all on that, but I will say to you that is what is being said.”

While the Sixers are by no means looking to move Maxey, ESPN’s trio believes the front office’s stance on the young guard would be more malleable than what’s been reported if the team has a legitimate chance to acquire a star, including perhaps Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard.

As Windhorst and Bontemps observe, while Philadelphia’s plan not to sign Maxey to a rookie scale extension is ostensibly about maximizing cap room in 2024, he would also be easier to trade if he’s not extended, since he wouldn’t be subject to poison pill provision rules in 2023/24.

Here are a few more trade-related rumors and notes:

Although he’s not reporting that any trade discussions have taken place with the Trail Blazers or that the Jazz will make a run at Lillard, MacMahon said on The Hoop Collective podcast that he has heard Utah is “intrigued by the possibility” of acquiring the All-Star guard, confirming previous reports. MacMahon, Windhorst, and Bontemps ultimately believe the Jazz aren’t ready to make significant deal for a win-now player who’s about to turn 33, but they note that Lillard has a connection to Utah, having played his college ball at Weber State, and the Jazz’s collection of future first-round picks would dwarf what Miami could offer.
At the trade deadline, the Jazz‘s position was that Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler, and Ochai Agbaji were their only players who were off the table in trade talks, according to MacMahon, who believes that if Utah did pursue a star this offseason, Markkanen and Kessler would be the only untouchables.
Appearing on NBA TV (Twitter video link), Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel says the Heat are willing to discuss anyone except their two All-Stars as they negotiate a possible deal with Portland for Lillard, who wants to play in Miami. “Put it this way, they basically have loaded up one of those PODS dumpsters in front of the Trail Blazers and said, ‘Take anyone out of here you want besides Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler,'” Winderman said. “Maybe they’ll go back and forth on Caleb Martin a little, but it’s basically, sort of, ‘Come and pick and choose. Tell us what you want. Anything else is yours.’ The Heat are all-in on this. This is their moment. There’s a reason they didn’t go hard after Bradley Beal. There’s a reason they held off on some other moves. This is their play.”

Damian Lillard Rumors: Heat, Herro, Martin, Nurkic, Grant

July 1st, 2023 at 3:31pm CST by Alex Kirschenbaum

Shockwaves were sent throughout the league this morning when it was reported that longtime Trail Blazers All-NBA point guard Damian Lillard had requested a trade.

During an appearance on NBA Today, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter video link) spoke with host Malika Andrews about the curious timing of the deal.

“His conversations with the organization, at least going back several days [to] that last Monday meeting in Portland, the expectation was he was going to give the organization a chance to get through free agency, and see how they could improve the team,” Woj said. “And on the opening night of free agency, they committed in Portland $160MM to Jerami Grant to return to the Blazers, certainly with Damian Lillard in mind. And now, less than 24 hours later, Lillard has asked for a trade.”

Sources tell Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report that Lillard’s agent Aaron Goodwin informed Joe Cronin of his client’s decision on Saturday morning.

Haynes is one of many reporters hearing that Lillard hopes to be dealt to Miami. Heat All-NBA swingman Jimmy Butler, fresh off leading the team to its second Finals appearance in four seasons, has told Miami personnel that Lillard is his No. 1 target for the club’s offseason, Haynes adds.

Miami is prepared to make an offer centered around young shooting guard Tyler Herro, according to Haynes, who says sharpshooter Duncan Robinson and draft picks could be used to build out the package. The team is hoping to avoid including affordable forward Caleb Martin in trade talks, per Haynes and Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (via Twitter).

The Trail Blazers, for their part, may angle to unload the contract of veteran center Jusuf Nurkic in a deal.

“If you want to go into a full rebuild, Brooklyn has the better assets going forward,” a front office executive told Sean Deveney of Heavy Sports. “But Portland is pretty clear that they are not looking to be terrible next year. They will be young but they want to stay competitive. Dealing with Miami gets you there.”

Surrounding third overall lottery pick Scoot Henderson with a play-making scorer at the level of Herro and perhaps a marksman with the pedigree of Robinson could help the Trail Blazers at least remain somewhat competitive next season.

However, there have been rumblings that Portland may be “lukewarm” on Herro, so it’s possible a third team would have to get involved, as Jackson writes for The Miami Herald in an exploration of possible trade scenarios. Haynes (Twitter link) has indeed heard that any Lillard trade between the Blazers and Heat would probably have to include a third team, though he doesn’t specify whether that’s related to Portland’s feelings about Herro.

The Sixers are another club that hopes to get into the running for Lillard. However, Jake Fischer of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link) is hearing that young combo guard Tyrese Maxey, who is still on his rookie scale contract, is currently off the table in any trade talks, even for Lillard. Fischer reiterates that rival teams, including Philadelphia, are convinced Lillard hopes to be moved to the Heat specifically.

Finally, Wojnarowski provides an important update on another key veteran whose future is affected by Lillard’s trade request, tweeting that today’s news won’t change Portland’s plans to re-sign Grant to the five-year, $160MM contract he and the team agreed to on Friday night.

That deal can’t be made official until July 6, so either side could back out of their verbal agreement before then. However, it would be a bad look for a club to rescind such a significant offer, and Grant seems unlikely to do anywhere near that well elsewhere on the free agent market.

Luke Adams contributed to this story.

Heat Notes: Lillard, Herro, Beal, Draft, Riley

June 19th, 2023 at 4:02pm CST by Luke Adams

With Bradley Beal off the trade market, the Heat are shifting their focus to Damian Lillard and believe they have a real chance to acquire the Trail Blazers star, Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes, confirming previous reporting from Chris Haynes.

In his latest story for The Herald, Jackson looks at potential packages the Heat could offer for Lillard if he becomes available, noting that the deal would likely start with two players out of the trio of Tyler Herro, Kyle Lowry, and Duncan Robinson. Miami’s proposal could include up to three first-round picks, including this year’s No. 18 selection.

As Jackson observes, if the Heat want to preserve their draft assets, they could put forth a more player-centric offer headed by Herro, Caleb Martin, Nikola Jovic, and Victor Oladipo‘s expiring contract, with perhaps just one or two picks included.

If Miami makes a deal for Lillard, Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald writes in a separate story, it likely won’t occur until July, when the new CBA will be in effect and the Heat will only be able to take back up to 110% of their outgoing salary in a trade instead of 125%. While Lillard could be traded in June before the new CBA begins, including Herro in an offer would probably require Miami to wait until next month, since his rookie scale extension will begin in July, increasing his outgoing trade value from $5.7MM to $27MM.

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Having previously reported that Beal would have been willing to waive his no-trade clause to join the Heat, Jackson provides more information, tweeting that two sources close to Beal said the guard would approved a move to either Miami or Phoenix. As Jackson explains (via Twitter), the Wizards simply preferred the Suns‘ offer to the Heat’s, in large part because Miami’s offer – believed to be built around Lowry and Robinson – featured nearly twice as much guaranteed money.
Heat assistant general manager Adam Simon spoke to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel about the extensive work the team has done to prepare to make the No. 18 pick in this Thursday’s draft, despite the fact that the selection could end up being used in a trade.
Heat president Pat Riley will hold an end-of-season press conference and speak to reporters on Tuesday, tweets Jackson. Of course, he won’t be able to talk about any players under contracts with other teams, such as Beal or Lillard.

Heat Notes: Comeback, Love, Role Players, Herro

June 11th, 2023 at 6:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Heat are facing a 3-1 deficit in the Finals. Only one team has ever won in the Finals after trailing by that margin but Miami’s coaches and players are unfazed by the odds, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes.

“Everybody is counting us out. We’re used to that,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. “But ultimately it has to be decided between those four lines. The crowd is not going to decide it. The narratives are not going to decide it. Whatever the analytics are about 3-1, that ain’t going to decide it. It’s going to be decided between those four lines, whose game can get to whose game and ultimately win at the end. That’s what our guys love. So we’re looking forward to it.”

Game 5 will be played in Denver on Monday night. If the Heat force a Game 6, it will be played on Thursday.

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Speaking of that one time a team rallied from a 3-1 Finals deficit, Kevin Love is well aware of how such a comeback could take place. He was a member of the 2016 Cavaliers that rallied to beat the Warriors in the last three games of the series, Chiang notes in the same story. Love sees similarities between those Cavs and these Heat. “I think there’s a lot to be taken from that situation,” Love said. “Naturally, when your back is up against the wall, you start to look for answers, solutions. But we’re a team that has been super resilient.”
Caleb Martin, Gabe Vincent and Max Strus haven’t been able to impact the Finals the way they did the first three playoff series, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel points out. The Heat know they’ll need more from their role players and perimeter shooters to beat Denver three straight times. “(The Nuggets) definitely made an adjustment to try to stay at home on three-point shooters,” Spoelstra said. “It’s not the first time we have faced that. I think that’s a great compliment to them and how important they are to our offense. We just have to do it better.”
Tyler Herro is listed as out for Game 5, Winderman tweets. The 23-year-old sharpshooter still hasn’t received medical clearance to play in the remaining games, though he did undergo another contact workout on Sunday, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports. Herro hasn’t played since breaking his hand in the opening round of the playoffs.

Heat Notes: Herro, Martin, Spoelstra, Butler

June 6th, 2023 at 10:54pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Tyler Herro has been listed as out for Game 3 of the Finals on Wednesday, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald relays. Herro, who is recovering from a broken hand, said over the weekend he’s still experiencing soreness when he shoots. The Heat guard hasn’t received full medical clearance to play, though he’s practicing with the team.

“He has not been cleared [by doctors to return to game action] yet, so that’s where we are,” coach Erik Spoelstra said. “But we’re encouraged by the work that he has been doing.”

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Eastern Conference Finals standout Caleb Martin said he’s feeling much better after battling an illness in the first two games of the series, Jackson reports in the same story. The forward said his condition affected his play. “Cold chills, body aches, heavy, heavy migraine,” Martin said of his symptoms. “I was just laying down pretty much in the dark.” He only scored three points in each game.
After guiding the underdog Heat to the Finals, Spoelstra has positioned himself to receive a lucrative extension, according to the Herald duo of Jackson and Anthony Chiang. Spoelstra reportedly has one year remaining on his contract and now has six Finals appearances on his resume in 15 seasons. The Pistons gave Monty Williams a contract averaging $13MM per season, driving up the market for proven head coaches. Spoelstra’s current salary is believed to be in the $8MM range.
Jimmy Butler is averaging 17 points in the series after posting 24.7 points per game in the conference finals. Butler says he’s “done great” in the series, contributing in other ways, Joe Vardon of The Athletic writes. “I’m not a scorer. Just because I score a lot of points one game, that doesn’t make you a scorer. I’m not a volume shooter. I don’t do any of that,” he said. “I don’t press to score. I only press to win. If I pass the ball every possession, if we win, I don’t care. If I shoot the ball every possession and we win, I don’t care.”

Caleb Martin Available, Tyler Herro Out For Game 2

June 4th, 2023 at 5:14pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Caleb Martin will play in Game 2 of the NBA Finals on Sunday, according to Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald (Twitter link).

The Heat wing had been listed as questionable due to an illness. He missed the team’s practice on Saturday. Martin averaged 19.3 points and 6.4 rebounds in the Eastern Conference Finals against Boston but was held to three points on 1-of-7 shooting by the Nuggets in Game 1.

Big man Cody Zeller, who was initially listed as questionable due to a sprained right foot, will also be available off Miami’s bench.

Tyler Herro will remain sidelined as he recovers from a broken hand, though there’s legitimate hope he could return for Game 3 on Wednesday. Herro, who suffered the injury in the opening game of the first-round series against Milwaukee, has ramped up his workouts in recent days.

Heat Notes: Highsmith, Herro, Injuries, Strus, Love

June 3rd, 2023 at 8:27pm CST by Arthur Hill

Haywood Highsmith may see consistent minutes throughout the NBA Finals after scoring 18 points in the series opener, writes Peter Baugh of The Athletic. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra played Highsmith more than 23 minutes off the bench in Game 1 and trusted him to share the responsibility of guarding Jamal Murray.

Earning playing time hasn’t been easy for the third-year swingman, who was barely used for most of the Eastern Conference Finals. He had a breakthrough performance when he scored 15 points in 36 minutes in Game 5 against Boston.

The 26-year-old has taken an unconventional road to the NBA Finals, playing at a Division II college and then being waived three times by the Sixers. Miami gave him an opportunity with a 10-day contract last season, and he earned two more before signing a three-year deal. He takes pride in being one of seven undrafted players on the team’s roster.

“(The Heat) see something in us that nobody else saw in us as undrafted guys, kind of like hidden gems,” Highsmith said. “They believe in us, and they do a great job with developing us and taking us up under their wing and just making us be the best players we can be.”

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Tyler Herro has been declared out for Game 2, but that doesn’t mean it’s certain that he won’t play, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Jackson states that NBA rules allow teams to change the status of injured players, so Herro could be activated before Sunday night if he continues to make progress in his recovery from hand surgery. Jackson adds that Caleb Martin is listed as questionable with an illness that the team describes as a head issue, and Cody Zeller is questionable with a sprained right foot.
Jimmy Butler hasn’t lost faith in Martin and Max Strus, who combined to shoot 1-of-17 in Game 1, Jackson adds. Butler said he’ll still set them up for the same shots, and Strus remarked that he’s eager to put his scoreless night behind him. “You can’t dwell on it,” he said. “Luckily, it was only Game 1 so we got more to play. But I’m ready. I wanted to play right after the game was over.”
In an interview with Sam Amick of The Athletic, Kevin Love offers his perspective as a relative newcomer to Heat culture after signing with the team in February. “I think it’s definitely a level of focus and professionalism, attention to detail and winning at all costs, that is not always the case (with other teams),” Love said. “Or there’s moments throughout the season (where you have that focus with other teams), but this is all-in for all 82. And then after that, it’s taking it up even another notch. And I’ve felt that, and understood that, and I’ve only been here for three months.”

Heat Notes: Robinson, Vincent, Strus, Love, Haslem

June 3rd, 2023 at 10:26am CST by Luke Adams

The Heat‘s unexpectedly deep playoff run has improved the league-wide perception of several of the team’s key contributors, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald.

According to a scout who spoke to Jackson, Duncan Robinson‘s contract – which has three years and $57MM left after this season – now looks more tradable as opposed to being a “complete albatross.” Meanwhile, players like Gabe Vincent and Max Strus, who are headed for unrestricted free agency, are poised to cash in nicely this summer.

“I’ve gone from thinking (Vincent) is a good $3MM backup to a $10MM, $11MM player; he’s worth that in today’s NBA,” the scout said. “The guy has produced when it counts, and that’s what teams are looking for. He has risen to the occasion. … He’s never afraid of the moment. You get high effort defensively. Decent play-maker, has toughness. To me, his value correlates a lot to his scoring, but he does do other things that teams value.”

Ira Winderman explores the same subject in a story for The Sun Sentinel, noting that ESPN’s Bobby Marks believes both Vincent and Strus could get starting salaries around the full mid-level exception ($12.2MM) when they hit the market in a few weeks.

Here’s more on the Heat:

Five undrafted Heat players – Vincent, Strus, Robinson, Caleb Martin, and Haywood Highsmith – played at least 20 minutes in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. While those players appreciated Erik Spoelstra‘s recent assertion that the fixation on their undrafted status is “disrespectful,” they also don’t want to dismiss the obstacles they had to overcome to become rotation players on a Finals team, per Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald. “You want to be labeled as an NBA player, but you don’t forget the road you took to get here, you don’t forget where you started and where you came from,” Martin said. “That’s what makes it also very special. I think that’s why our connection is so great, because near half our team went through the same stuff. I think the fact that’s the case has also helped us get to this point. So just as much as it can get old, it’s also very special.”
Kevin Love‘s numbers since he joined the Heat have been modest and his minutes have fluctuated, but teammate Duncan Robinson believes the veteran forward has been a difference-maker off the court for the club. “I think he totally changed the whole dynamic of our locker room,” Robinson said of Love on The Old Man and the Three podcast (hat tip to Jackson at The Miami Herald). “Just his character, his levity, what he brought in terms of just connecting people, having a sense of humor. When you have a guy who’s played in four NBA Finals, won a championship, gets pulled from a rotation in the middle of a series and his immediate reaction is uplifting the guy that’s replacing him — that alone sets the tone down the line for everybody else.”
While Udonis Haslem admits it would be an “amazing” ending to his own career if the Heat win a championship this spring before he retires, he said this week that he wants a title more for his teammates than for himself. “I want it for the guys that haven’t won any,” Haslem said, according to Chiang. “I want it for Jimmy Butler. I want it for those guys more so than anything.”