The Caleb Martin era with the 76ers was short-lived.
The Sixers traded the forward to the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday in exchange for Quentin Grimes and a 2025 second-round pick. The pick originally belonged to the Sixers and had been acquired by Dallas. The move came seven months after Martin signed a four-year, $35 million contract with the Sixers.
“What Q meant to us in the short stint he was with us, he did everything we asked,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said of Grimes. “He’s a pro. I talked to him this afternoon. … We are going to miss him.
“But we look at Caleb, the versatility, just his teammates, his past teammates have always talked highly of him, his versatility defensively. And then it’s just his experience in the playoffs. So we’re really excited to have this opportunity.”
The trade came hours before the Sixers entertained Dallas on Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center. A source confirmed that KJ Martin, another Sixers forward, was sidelined for the game because of a pending trade.
But in Grimes, the Sixers acquired a 6-foot-5 shooting guard who can provide depth. He averaged 10.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 2.1 assists in 47 games with 12 starts this season in Dallas. The 24-year-old Houston native is shooting a career-best 39.8% on three-pointers this season.
Grimes was drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers with the 25th pick of the 2021 draft and traded to the New York Knicks. After spending 2½ seasons in New York, he was traded to the Detroit Pistons on Feb. 8, 2023. The Pistons, in turn, traded him to the Mavs on July 6.
In his fourth season, Grimes comes to Philadelphia with career averages of 8.9 points and 2.8 rebounds in addition to being 37.6% career three-point shooter.
“It is pretty early, because you’ve always got to see where the piece exactly fits,” Sixers coach Nick Nurse said of utilizing Grimes. “But, I mean, he’s obviously been in their rotation pretty consistently. He shot the three-ball pretty well. We always could use some extra spacing. … We just have to see where the combination fits defensively and how it shakes out that way. We are going to have to learn all that stuff as fast as we can.”
Nurse chatted with Grimes on the court during pregame warmups. He tried to reach out to Caleb Martin. “But I’m sure he’s … busy,” the coach said.
Martin shared a text message Tuesday afternoon with Kidd.
The Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings were considering a trade for Martin before he was shipped to the Mavs, according to a source. The source also said the Miami Heat were contemplating reacquiring their former key role player.
Martin came to the Sixers with huge expectations. The team tabbed the 6-5, 205-pounder as an undersized power forward to play alongside the Big Three of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, and Paul George along with role player Kelly Oubre Jr.
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However, Martin has been hampered by injuries for most of the season. He missed the last 12 games and 17 altogether while averaging 9.1 points and 4.4 rebounds and shooting 37.9% on three-pointers.
His best game of the season came against the Boston Celtics on Christmas Day. The 29-year-old had 23 points on 8-of-11 shooting, including going 7-for-9 on three-pointers.
This moves also ensures that the Sixers will have a pick in June’s draft. If their first-round pick does not fall in the first six selections, it will go to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Meanwhile, KJ Martin hasn’t played since Dec. 23. He re-signed with the Sixers for $16 million over two years on July 12. His second season is nonguaranteed, which could be enticing for a squad looking to dump salary next season.