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The Philadelphia 76ers' first trade of the 2025 trade deadline cycle is a deal with the Dallas Mavericks. ESPN's Shams Charania broke the news that the Sixers will trade Caleb Martin in exchange for Quentin Grimes and a 2025 second-round pick.
The Sixers signed Martin to a four-year deal this summer as a part of their massive spending spree. He was poised to be one of the primary supporting cast members around the trio of Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Paul George. That plan has been derailed by numerous injuries, including to Martin, and Philly is further from title contention than it ever thought it would be this season.
Meanwhile, the Mavs continue their busy trade season after making the blockbuster Luka Doncic-for-Anthony Davis swap. Martin is a solid role player with more years on a team-friendly contract, though he's also roughly five years older than Grimes.
At the time of the trade, it seems like the 76ers made out very well and the Mavericks have made another trade with a vision that not many others see eye-to-eye on.
76ers get Quentin Grimes, 2nd-round pick
In both Grimes and their own second-round pick, the 76ers received two assets with immediate short-term and potential long-term upside.
In his first season with Dallas, Grimes is averaging 10.2 points per game while shooting a career-best 39.8 percent from deep. The 24-year-old is a strong three-point shooter, especially from the corners, and has been an efficient shooter on shots at the rim throughout his career. He's adept at attacking closeouts and is also a hound on defense, challenging ball-handlers at every turn. The 76ers need 3-and-D players and have landed a very good one who still has the potential to get better.
Grimes will be a restricted free agent this summer and the 76ers will have his Bird rights. This essentially means that the Sixers will not have to risk giving him up for nothing. Other teams can sign him but Philly will have the chance to match any deal. Unless Grimes gets an offer far too big for Philly's liking, he's most likely sticking around.
The 76ers recouping their 2025 second-round pick, which they originally traded to get George Hill at the 2021 trade deadline, is important. With how poorly their season has gone, that pick could land in the top 10-to-12 spots of the second round. Philly's front office has done well in later rounds under Daryl Morey, most recently snagging Adem Bona with the 41st overall pick, so that selection can be of great benefit. If nothing else, it's another asset to use in other trades.
Although the Sixers will have work to do with Grimes' contract this summer, getting a young, good player under team control and their own second-rounder back is excellent work from Morey and Philly's front office. Additionally, this trade gets them below the first apron and closer to opening up the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which would be huge in their efforts to re-sign Guerschon Yabusele.
The biggest downside for the Sixers is having to negotiate a new deal for Grimes this summer. Using the soon-to-be-expiring contracts of Kelly Oubre Jr. or KJ Martin would have made more sense than giving up Martin, who is under team control for longer, but that probably would not have piqued Dallas' interest the same way. As it stands, this trade looks to be a very good one for Philadelphia.
76ers trade grade: A
Mavericks land Caleb Martin
After dealing Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers, the Mavs again swung a deal to shake up their roster.
Martin is signed through the 2026-27 season and has a player option for the following season. He has dealt with a hip sprain for the past few weeks but served as a sound defender and solid playmaker when healthy this season. His three-point percentage of 39.1 is better than it lets on, as his jumper is slow and clunky. Still, he can help Dallas remain a winning team.
Although Grimes and new addition Max Christie overlap a bit, it's odd to see the Mavs getting the older player and giving up the draft capital in this deal. The Sixers' second-round pick is currently the 37th overall selection. Dallas surely believes Martin will be a sizable upgrade — and there’s some merit to that hope given his defensive talents, rebounding from the wing, toughness and playoff experience.
One of the Mavericks' motivations in the Doncic-Davis trade was stocking up on defense. Martin is indeed a good defender, capable of guarding a variety of players, but so is Grimes. Any edge Martin has on that end of the ball is overshadowed by the gap in shooting and age between them. While having Martin on a long-term deal makes things easier for Dallas' front office, it's not a guarantee that Martin will be better than Grimes going forward.
Martin's experience on good playoff teams surely stood out to Dallas. Grimes has been a starter on a playoff team before — he started for the New York Knicks in the 2023 postseason — but Martin was integral to the Miami Heat, especially in their run to the 2023 NBA Finals. Perhaps his performances in big moments inspire a belief amongst the Mavs that he's a guy they prefer to go to war with.
Nico Harrison was clearly not afraid of what anyone else thought of his idea to trade Doncic, so making another trade with questionable upside for Dallas shouldn't come as too much of a surprise.
Mavericks trade grade: C
