Heat SF Caleb Martin to serve 1-game suspension Monday vs Raptors

Caleb Martin will serve his one-game suspension on Monday and the Heat forward expressed regret for the incident, Anthony Chiang of the Miami Herald writes.“I definitely expected something like that to that degree,” Martin said.“I knew they were going to look through something and find out the proper consequences, and I definitely don’t disagree with it.” Martin was the instigator in an on-court altercation with the Raptors’ Christian Koloko on Saturday.

We have more from the Southeast Division:

• It’s questionable whether Hawks owner Tony Ressler would actually be willing to pay a luxury tax unless the Hawks have 60-win potential, which is why De’Andre Hunter‘s extension could become an issue in the near future, according to John Hollinger of The Athletic. Hunter’s extension of four years and up to $95M puts the Hawks in a bind as early as next summer if Bogdan Bogdanović picks up his $18M option for next season, Hollinger notes. They’ll also have to shell out big bucks to re-sign Dejounte Murray in 2024 so unless they clear cap space, the Hawks could be limited to using the taxpayer midlevel exception and still ending up paying the tax in 2023/24, then go even deeper into tax territory the following season.
• The Hornets shouldn’t go into tank mode to land projected top pick Victor Wembanyama, Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer opines. They haven’t enjoyed lottery luck throughout their history, Boone notes. It would also leave their current franchise player, LaMelo Ball, without any postseason experience and alienate season ticket holders.
• Magic wing Terrence Ross saw a silver lining in the team’s 0-3 start, as he told Khobi Price of the Orlando Sentinel. “It’s great, as much as it hurts to lose a game,” he said. “The learning experience is amazing. We’ve played some really good teams. All in all, it’s going to give us confidence and let us know we can compete with anybody.”