Sixers sign forward Caleb Martin, waive Paul Reed

The Fourth of July weekend was not a time of rest for the Sixers. They are finalizing a deal with free-agent forward Caleb Martin and waiving fan-favorite big Paul Reed, a source confirmed to 97.3 ESPN on Saturday.

The pact for the soon-to-be 29-year-old Martin is reportedly worth more than $32 million over four years. The fourth year is a player option, according to Michael Scotto.

As we've chronicled at 97.3 ESPN, Reed's contract was not guaranteed for this season. So, with the additions of Adem Bona and Andre Drummond, the writing was on the wall for Reed. In waiving him, Philadelphia has renounced his rights entirely. He is an unrestricted free agent with no cap hold on the Sixers' books.

Martin played two seasons with the Charlotte Hornets before flourishing into a solidified rotation player for the Miami Heat over the last three years. He wasn't just a regular-season minutes eater, either. Martin dazzled in Miami's run to the Finals in 2023.

Martin logged 317 possessions at shooting guard last season, per Cleaning The Glass. He provided flexibility up the positional spectrum, logging well over 1,000 possessions each at small forward and power forward.

Martin is reportedly expected to start at power forward in Philadelphia, alleviating some of the defensive burden on the incoming Paul George.

Martin shot 36 percent from three this past season, a few ticks below the league average. Only 38 percent of his field goal attempts were threes; a proportion short of what you'd want from a role player. Martin ranked on the 20th percentile amongst forwards in field goal percentage at the rim. He ranked on the 25th percentile amongst forwards in effective field goal percentage, as well.

A pessimist would say that Martin's up-and-down offensive game is especially suspect on a team that is currently short on playmaking and passing. They might also say that, depending on which resource you use, he stands somewhere between 6-foot-5 and 6-foot-7. That is to say, undersized for a traditional power forward.

An optimist would say that Miami was an uninspiring halfcourt offense and a mediocre generator of transition offense last season. Even with Jimmy Butler still probably grading out as a better playmaker and passer than anyone on the Sixers and the Heat having the defensive tools to create advantages against scrambling opponents, Philadelphia has far more offensive depth in its core. That should set Martin up nicely.

As for the defensive side of the ball, Philadelphia has inched closer to the modern-day NBA with each move they've made this offseason.

Every player in the projected starting five will have a positive wingspan by at least three inches. Tyrese Maxey will be the shortest starter by roughly four inches. Martin may slot in as the power forward, but Philadelphia's program isn't going to be dictated by tradition.

The Sixers now have legitimate size on the wings between Maxey and Joel Embiid. They're not foolproof by any stretch of the imagination. But, they can switch rather comfortably across three or four players. Opponents will have less optionality in target-hunting on offense in crunch time.

Perhaps the bow that ties this all together is that the solidified perimeter defense will allow Embiid to stay closer to the rim, keeping him in the vicinity of the basket when the ball comes down on misses.

The depth on the wings will also allow Nick Nurse to mix and match in his reserve units. The Sixers have the means to protect the basket in various ways without Embiid on the court.

President of basketball operations Daryl Morey told reporters at his exit interview that his team needed to add a high-impact wing this offseason. He landed the best on the market in George.

Morey has also added shooting on veteran-minimum value, aided his team's rebounding and security behind Embiid for cheap, retained a fan favorite who outplayed his contract last season, and now layered his wing rotation with one of the best role players left on the market for annual value that appears equivalent to a little bit more than the room mid-level exception.

It's been an A-plus summer for Morey and company thus far. With four roster spots left to fill for the regular season, the Sixers can't be done just yet.