Caleb Martin can become a free agent this offseason, so the Miami Heat will have to decide soon whether they’ll be able to keep him for a few more years.
The 28-year-old forward signed a three-year, $20 million contract with the Miami Heat in 2022 and was given a $7.1 million player option in the final year of his deal.
According to an anonymous front office executive, Caleb Martin could command an annual salary of $13 million this coming offseason if he foregoes his player option.
“He’s got mid-level value,” the official told the Miami Herald. “He can defend. He’s a winning player. He’s a solid rotation guy on a good team.
The 28-year-old forward has been a key rotation player for the Miami Heat in the past few seasons, most notably torching the Boston Celtics in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals.
Caleb Martin can be an X-factor for the Miami Heat
Caleb Martin will have leverage for a higher salary if he continues to perform well for the Miami Heat in their first-round matchup against the Boston Celtics.
The Nevada product didn’t have a good Game 1 since he only had four points, four rebounds, and two assists in 29 minutes of action and was caught in trouble with his controversial hard foul on Jayson Tatum in the 114-94 blowout loss.
“I mean, anybody who knows me, I don’t feel the need to try to take out guys in order to beat somebody,” Caleb Martin said about the foul via Bobby Manning on X (formerly known as Twitter). “The first thing I did was turn around and check if he was ok. If I was trying to take somebody out, I would’ve just kept walking away.”
To his credit, Caleb Martin bounced back in Game 2, tallying 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field, including five three-pointers in 36 minutes of action.
The Miami Heat now own homecourt advantage in this series after winning Game 2, and if Caleb Martin continues to play this way, he will get the bigger payday he deserves.
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