Mavs stay busy, acquire former playoff hero in trade

The Dallas Mavericks are looking to improve their roster in the wake of their stunning decision to trade Luka Doncic, and they have now acquired a former playoff hero.

The Mavericks on Tuesday acquired forward Caleb Martin in a trade with the Philadelphia 76ers, ESPN’s Shams Charania reports. Dallas is sending Quentin Grimes and a second-round draft pick to Philly in the deal.

Martin was in his first season with the 76ers. He signed a four-year, $32 million deal in July after previously spending three years with the Miami Heat.

Martin averaged 9.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 31 games for the Sixers, who were 19-29 entering Monday and fading from postseason contention.

The 29-year-old Martin has been a role player throughout his career, but he had a huge impact for Miami during the 2023 playoffs. He had multiple 25-point performances in an Eastern Conference Finals win over the Boston Celtics that year and was nearly named MVP of the series. Martin also played a huge role for the Heat off the bench in the Eastern Conference Finals the previous year.

Miami wanted to keep Martin in free agency last summer, and it appeared at the time that Martin completely botched the situation.

The Mavericks acquired Anthony Davis over the weekend in the three-team deal that sent Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. Fans in Dallas have been in an uproar over the decision, and adding Martin to the mix is unlikely to make them feel any better.