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When the Philadelphia 76ers decided to trade Caleb Martin to the Dallas Mavericks for Quentin Grimes and a second-round pick mere months after “stealing” him away from the Miami Heat on a four-year, $32 million contract, it turned heads around the NBA.
After watching Miami botch their negotiations with the veteran wing in a major way, missing their window to extend the Nevada product before allowing the market to bear out in an incredibly unfortunate way, fans, pundits, and experts alike celebrated Philadelphia for finding a way to add a fifth starting using their cap space, with Martin expected to start at power forward next to Paul George long-term.
Instead, the former Heat member played up-and-down basketball for the 76ers, playing through injuries that understandably limited his ceiling before being shipped to Dallas – after spending a game in the Wells Fargo Center's visitor's locker room – where his more playoff-ready game is a better fit for the team's current timeline than Grimes' 3-and-D upside.
Now for the 76ers, this trade was almost too good to be true, as the team was able to get young, get more shooting around Joel Embiid, and add optionality with their offseason planning, as Grimes will be a restricted free agent who could remain in Philadelphia, secure the team an asset in a sign-and-trade, or leave for nothing to help free up money for a new contract for Guerschon Yabusele.
And the best start, with the trade deadline still days away, the 76ers will have a chance to make a little more cake and eat it, too.
With KJ Martin reportedly being held out of Tuesday's game due to “trade pending,” the 76ers have a chance to free up long-term money, free up a roster spot for Justin Edwards, and ultimately get better along the way, even if they look like “sellers.”
1. Make the KJ Martin trade mean something
On paper, some fans were excited to see word break that Martin was being traded to a team for cap relief, as it would free up money for Yabusele this summer.
Well, as it turns out, that isn't the case, as, per PHILY Sport's Derek Bodner, the real flexibility comes from getting under the luxury tax, as Martin's 2025 contract isn't guaranteed.
“Just to be clear, if the Sixers do dump KJ Martin's contract, they are not gaining any future flexibility by doing so,” Bodner wrote. “His contract for next season is not guaranteed. If they dump him, it's to get under the luxury tax. “Flexibility” is just a more palatable way of saying that.”
A disappointing development? You bet, but doing a purely cap-based deal for a player who has turned in some quality games in 2024 would be a massive bummer. But until a deal actually happens, things could change in any number of ways, as Morey could instead opt to use Martin's contract to facilitate a better deal elsewhere.
One potential option? Trading Martin, Kelly Oubre, and Andre Drummond to the Chicago Bulls for Lonzo Ball.
Now, as Michael Sotto of HoopsHype has reported, the Bulls are looking to move off of Ball and may not require a king's ransom to get a deal done.
“Chicago Bulls guard Lonzo Ball has been arguably the best comeback story in the league after returning this season from knee injuries that sidelined him since January 14, 2022,” Sotto wrote.
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“Ball has received trade interest from several teams, including the Memphis Grizzlies, Detroit Pistons, Minnesota Timberwolves, and others, league sources told HoopsHype.”
While the Bulls may like the idea of acquiring a young star like Martin and have an extensive history with Drummond, Oubre doesn't necessarily fit their timeline in 2025. Fortunately, in the NBA, it's pretty easy to rope in additional teams to secure additional assets or re-route a player like Oubre with a proven track record, so if the Bulls would be willing to accept Philadelphia's offer, plus a few second-round picks for good measure, they could likely double their asset return if they were willing to auction off Oubre or even Drummond for further picks.
And as for the 76ers? Well, they could secure the rights to an incredibly skilled passer who is built like a wing and can comfortably guard up or down positions 1-3. While Maxey has made strides as a point guard, the team still misses that sort of je ne sais quoi they once had with James Harden at the controls and could use that again, even with the loaded backcourt also featuring Grimes and Jared McCain long-term.
With his contract set to expire at the end of the season, Ball could re-sign with the 76ers using Bird Rights, leave for nothing to free up cap space, or be used in a sign-and-trade, which is very good news for a Philadelphia team looking to maximize their optionality for the second offseason in a row.
2. Cash out on the Paul George Experiment
While the chances of a Paul George trade in 2025 appear rather unlikely, the fact that both the Golden State Warriors and the Atlanta Hawks have reached out to the team about a potential deal is incredibly interesting, especially if the teams are willing to pony up some interesting young players in favor of a more win-now asset.
For the Warriors, any such deal would have to fit around some combination of the players who are seemingly always listed in mock trades involving the team: Jonathan Kuminga, Brandin Podziemski, and Moses Moody.
Now sure, the 76ers would have to be willing to take on the final two and a half years of Andrew Wiggins' contract and would probably have to acquire Dennis Schroder, too, since his deal expires at the end of the season, but getting back a player like Kuming and either Podz or Moody, plus at least one first-round pick, would produce very interesting results for a team clearly looking to remain competitive while also forming a young core for when Embiid's time with the team is finished.
If the 76ers instead want to focus on the Hawks, both Trae Young and Jalen Johnson are probably off the table, as is rookie Zaccharie Risacher, but what about players like De'Andre Hunter, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Dyson Daniels, who is currently having himself a year in his first season away from the New Orleans Pelicans? While Daniels' inclusion would certainly limit the number of assets Philadelphia would get back in the deal, the supersized guard is an ascending player, whereas George has been very inconsistent for the 76ers this season.
Would either deal really be worth saying goodbye to PG13? Debatable, but considering he is a depressing asset, if the right deal comes along, the 76ers would be wise to take it.
Bonus: Don't trade Guerschon Yabusele
And last but not least, while there are a ton of ways the 76ers could tackle the trade deadline, one thing they shouldn't even consider is trading Yabusele.
After securing his services on a flier, Yabusele has rapidly proven himself the perfect frontcourt partner for Embiid, with the ability to play with him or in place of him, depending on the situation. If the 76ers can figure out a way to keep the Olympic Silver Medalist around long-term, that has to be a priority, even if it means shedding some salary now to free up more optionality later this year.
