Caleb Martin looks back on the reasons for his departure from the Heat

This week, the meeting between Miami and Philadelphia had the air of a reunion in more than one way, between the return to play of Jimmy Butler who always makes it a point of honor to shine against his former team, but also that of Caleb Martinwho returned to the Kaseya Center for the first time Monday evening since leaving for Pennsylvania this summer.

Cody Martin's twin was also one of the only Sixers players to survive that evening, thanks to his intensity on both sides of the field. Alongside his return to the fold that he considers his “second home”the winger spoke at length about his departure from Florida during the last free agency. He thus confirmed having refused to activate his player option at 7.1 million dollars to be able to test the market, even though Miami had reserved a contract for him of 65 million dollars over five years!

“It’s difficult to explain, because there are a lot of things that came into play,” he explained. “It’s clear that I wanted to find the best situation, I wanted to see what was best for my career, what was best for me as a player, for my progression. It's not just money that counts. But obviously that was also a big part of the decision.”

Badly advised…

The reason why Miami had to play for time is due to the new collective agreement and the “second apron” rule which harshly punishes franchises that abuse the “luxury tax”. This is how Caleb Martin found himself faced with this difficult choice: either activate his “player option” before June 29, with the prospect of extending afterwards, or experience the excitement of “free agency” from the 30th. The player played, and lost, a lot, as he ended up signing a four-year, $35 million contract (rising to $40 million depending on bonuses) with the Sixers.

“It was a question of timing. This is what happened. The decision had to be made before I even had a chance to decide anything else. The decision to come back here should have been made before even having the opportunity to participate in free agency. All I could do was rely on the information I had and my representatives. Whatever information we receive, we make the necessary decisions.”

…but not resentful

Half-heartedly, the Sixers player admitted to having given in to the madness of grandeur on the advice of his agents. But like others before him, the hoped-for offer never arrived. Despite the considerable loss of money that this decision generated, Caleb Martin said he did not hold a grudge against his advisors.

“We try to make the best decisions, even if sometimes we don't know what the consequences will be until we have to face them. It's clear that everyone has people around them, people that we listen to, and you then try to make the best possible evaluation, based on the information that you have. I was confident in putting my trust in that, and believing that the right decision was going to be made. At the end of the day, I think I'm where I needed to be. Things don't happen by chance.”he continued before clearing his agents. “No one has a crystal ball. Upon arrival, nothing was approved without me saying OK at the end. These are things you learn to deal with. Of course it hurts, because of the memories and everything that goes with it, and of course the money left on the table. But I think there are other aspects of the decision that resulted in good things. Maybe it was time for me to move.”

Even if Miami is not at its best, it is downright grimace soup for the Philadelphia side, which hoped to play the leading roles by highlighting its Maxey-George-Embiid trio. After a month of competition, here too, we are very far from the mark, the Sixers standing in penultimate place in the Eastern Conference! Despite this big negative karma that is coming, Caleb Martin has decided to keep his head held high, and to appreciate this new stage of his career, keeping in mind the path traveled since his beginnings.

“I'm very lucky to be where I am and still have four guaranteed years in this league, which is tough. If you had told me that I would have nine years of guarantees in the league, I would never have believed you. Whatever happens, I am privileged. I'm very lucky to still be competing at a high level. I have the feeling of being in a very good situation (…). I would have loved to come back and make it work too. There's nothing personal against the Heat. I have nothing but love for them”he concluded.

How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.