Mavericks acquire Caleb Martin from Sixers for Quentin Grimes

Keith Smith
Keith Smith, Resident NBA ExpertFebruary 04, 2025
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#nba #nba trade deadline #philadelphia 76ers #dallas mavericks #caleb martin #quentin grimes
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The Dallas Mavericks used some of their newly acquired wing depth to make a trade for more size on the perimeter, along with cap-sheet surety. The Philadelphia 76ers picked up a younger player, who fits no matter what direction the team takes at the trade deadline and moving forward.

Here are the particulars:

Dallas Mavericks acquire: Caleb Martin

Philadelphia 76ers acquire: Quentin Grimes, 2025 76ers second-round pick

Let’s dive in!

Dallas Mavericks

Incoming salary: $8.1 million in 2024-25

  • Caleb Martin (SF/PF, four years, $35 million (final season player option))

Outgoing salary: $4.3 million in 2024-25

  • Quentin Grimes (SG, one year, $4.3 million)

After acquiring Max Christie in the Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis trade, Quentin Grimes was expendable for the Mavericks. Grimes and Christie overlap in position and role, as both are 3&D wings for the Mavericks. The advantage with Christie is that he’s already signed to a team-friendly contract for the next few seasons.

Grimes is a pending restricted free agent. Dallas and Grimes were unable to come to an agreement on a rookie scale extension this past offseason. That left his status up in the air, as Grimes is headed into restricted free agency this offseason.

Valuations for Grimes vary around the NBA. Some teams are worried about his injury history, and inconsistent production. Other teams value his plug-and-play ability as a good shooter that can defend all three perimeter positions. That lands Grimes as an MLE-plus player, in terms of his projected next contract.

That means Grimes could expect a first-year salary between the MLE amount (projected to be just over $14 million for 2025-26) and around $15 million. Given that Christie is signed for just $7.7 million next season, it’s easy to see why Dallas moved on.

The Mavericks have a big contractual item to work out with Kyrie Irving this offseason. That’s in addition to rebuilding the roster around a re-signed Irving and the newly-acquired Davis. That’s where adding Caleb Martin comes in.

Martin and Christie combine to make slightly more than Grimes projects to in 2025-26. In addition, both Martin and Christie are under contract through at least 2026-27. That’s the kind of surety that Dallas wants as they navigate in a post-Doncic world.

On the court, Martin brings more size than Grimes. While Grimes is more of a small wing/combo guard defensively, Martin is a big wing/combo forward. Grimes has been a lights-out shooter this season, only recent dipping below 40% on 4.3 three-point attempts per game. Martin won’t shoot quite that well, or on that kind of volume. Martin is at 38% this year, but that’s a bit above his career average. Martin’s defense has also slipped a bit this season, but he’s still a solid defender.

The big thing here is that Dallas now has a clear runway to minutes for Christie. Instead of Christie and Grimes competing for playing time, the new addition can step right into a rotation role. Christie projects to be just as good of a shooter as Grimes, and he has a bit more size. The soon-to-be 22-year-old has also flashed a few on-ball skills too. That will allow Martin to slot into a forward rotation that will feature Davis, Naji Marshall, Klay Thompson and P.J. Washington, pending any forthcoming trades.

In an uncertain environment moving forward, as Dallas retools from their mega-trade, this deal brings some security to Jason Kidd’s wing rotation. That’s worth something, even if giving up Grimes is tough to swallow.

Philadelphia 76ers

Incoming salary: $4.3 million in 2024-25

  • Quentin Grimes (SG, one year, $4.3 million)

Outgoing salary: $8.1 million in 2024-25

  • Caleb Martin (SF/PF, four years, $35 million (final season player option))

This is a move that can benefit the Sixers right now, as well as having some staying power for years to come. Philadelphia’s roster could be in transition from this trade deadline through the offseason. With the emergence of Ricky Council IV and Justin Edwards as younger bigger wings, the Sixers didn’t have as much need for Caleb Martin moving forward.

Adding Quentin Grimes’ defense and shooting to the backcourt fills a bigger need for Philadelphia. The Sixers have been light on backcourt defense this season. Tyrese Maxey is carrying such a heavy offensive load, that his defense has slipped a bit. Eric Gordon is on the floor for his shooting and scoring, not his defense. The team’s best backcourt defender has been Kyle Lowry…which says quite a bit at this point.

Grimes will immediately upgrade the perimeter defense. He can guard either backcourt position, plus smaller wings. In addition, Grimes’ shooting is a nice get for Nick Nurse’s rotation.

On the cap sheet, the Sixers should be in position to retain Grimes long-term. He’s young enough to fit if Philadelphia pivots to trading out some veterans ahead of the deadline. He’s also good enough right now to fit if the 76ers pursue upgrades to make a playoff push. Grimes will probably make almost double what Martin was expected to for 2025-26, but the Sixers have enough other money coming off the books to make that palatable. Having Grimes’ restricted free agent rights will also help Philadelphia to control his free agency process.

In addition, this move dropped the Sixers below the first apron. That gives the team a bit of extra flexibility in trades before the deadline. If Philadelphia stays below the first apron, they’ll have the added benefit of being able to pursue any player that hits the buyout market. Remember: apron teams can’t sign a player after a buyout if that player’s previous salary was more than the Non-Taxpayer MLE (approximately $12.8 million).

This is a good move for the Sixers. Martin is a nice player, but his place on the roster was starting to feel pretty tenuous. Grimes is a better bet moving forward, even after factoring in that he needs a new contract. In fact, don’t be surprised if Grimes emerges as the long-term backcourt running mate for Maxey, as their skill-sets mesh quite well.

 


#nba #nba trade deadline #philadelphia 76ers #dallas mavericks #caleb martin #quentin grimes
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