Caleb Martin poses intriguing fit with the Philadelphia 76ers roster

Daryl Morey is known for his instinct during the offseason and his prowess at building a great roster, especially when presented with a lot of financial flexibility in his hands. The move to take Caleb Martin away from the Miami Heat was especially clever as he was able to sign him to a cap-friendly deal.

It was reported that Martin had received a $65 million offer from the Heat, but he rejected it, hoping to find a better deal in free agency. However, the most attractive offer came from the Sixers nabbing the versatile wing on a $32 million deal for the next four seasons. We must consider Morey's offseason capture as a bargain for a franchise that spent most of the cap space on Paul George and Tyrese Maxey signings this summer.

Martin's acquisition is not only beneficial financially; the North Carolina native seems to be a great fit for the rest of the roster. He amped up his value during the 2023 playoffs with his excellent performances during Miami's run to the NBA Finals. They eventually fell to the mighty Denver Nuggets, but he set himself up for a bigger deal in the end.

Despite Miami's willingness to keep him before the start of the offseason, Martin went through a mediocre run through the previous year. He had a down season shooting 35.4% on 3.6 three-point attempts per game, while he remained capable of averaging at least 10.0 points thanks to his cutting skills and his off-ball-movement.

Don't expect Martin to attack off-the-dribble or create his own jump shot. He needs others to do the work for him, but he's still a big wing standing at 6'10, who go to the rim. He's a more capable when playing alongside a creating force making 37.4% of his field goal attempts in C&S situations. During the playoff series vs. Boston this past postseason, he made 43.2% of his C&S attempts from three.

Caleb Martin seems more poised to elevate his game in the playoffs as he has been a capable contributor. During the 2023 playoffs, where the Heat reached the NBA Finals, Martin made his 4.5 C&S attempts on a 45.4% clip. In any case, the Sixers might a have a postseason weapon in their hands and considering the greatest star power that exists in the Philadelphia team, we might also see Martin improving his numbers during the regular season.

The dynamic forward could be what the 76ers need in the wing

Aside from his ability to stretch the floor from the wing position, Philadelphia acquired a great defender on a bargain deal. During his stint in Miami, Caleb Martin was used as a point-of-attack defender against star players in the wing position. During the series against the Celtics, he guarded Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum, while he was very capable on switching in the perimeter and keeping his ground even against smaller guards.

Martin is not expected to have a starting role in Philadelphia. Nevertheless, he will be valuable in the forward position playing alongside Kelly Oubre Jr. and sharing the defensive duties, while leaving the latter to do more in the offensive end relieving him from some of the pressure. More importantly, he will be the aggressor against the big wings that Sixers will call to face in Boston and New York.

Daryl Morey thought that he will likely need more versatile wings considering the opponents Philadelphia will face in the East. We even might see an incredibly flexible five-man rotation with Martin, George and Oubre together on the floor. The addition of Martin gives Nick Nurse a lot of different possibilities and it will be very interesting to see how those big and long wings mesh together.

Martin is limited offensively, but his defensive skillset is more than enough to make him a valuable piece that will elevate the rest of the Sixers squad. In any case, let's hope that Nick Nurse will find the way to put the roster in a situation that can eventually win the NBA title and Martin will be a big part of it.