Caleb Martin, if he’s not included in a potential Damian Lillard blockbuster, could end up on the free agent market next summer, as Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel explains. The Heat forward can opt out of his $7.1MM salary for the 2024/25 season next summer. If he plays like he did in the postseason, he would obviously make that move. However, as Winderman notes, Martin may not be quite as effective now that he’s more of a known commodity and will be more of a focus in defensive game plans.
We have more from the Southeast Division:
- The Heat could soon find themselves in the same salary cap crunch as the Celtics in the wake of Jaylen Brown‘s huge extension, Winderman opines. Jimmy Butler is likely to pursue a costly extension whether or not the club acquires Lillard and his huge contract. Butler is entering the first year of three-year, $146.4MM million contract that includes a player option in 2025/26. A payroll that includes a Butler extension, along with contracts of Lillard and Bam Adebayo, would result in tough decisions regarding the remainder of the roster.
- Dylan Murphy has moved on from an assistant coaching position with the Magic to being the head coach of their G League affiliate, now called the Osceola Magic. The G League team’s GM, Kevin Tiller, said Murphy is ready to show what he can do as a head coach. “Dylan came into the interview overly prepared,” Tiller told the Orlando Sentinel’s Jason Beede. “Knocked it out of the park. Every question we asked, he had a perfect answer. Not that we’re looking for a ‘perfect’ response but just the way he articulated everything, it showed us how much he’s been preparing for this. Longer than just, ‘Hey, you’re going to interview for this next Tuesday.’ This has been years in the making.”
- In case you missed it, the Wizards signed Jared Butler to a two-way deal this weekend.
Ah, I remember the days when Jimmy Buckets said he would be retired at 35…guess the money is just too good.
He’s actually set up to retire right around 35-36, depending on whether or not he exercises his player option for the ’25-’26 season..
The writer in the post above is just assuming that Jimmy will want a new deal after he completes this one, but now that you mention it, maybe he already signed his new 2-3yr deal with every intention of walking away and retiring afterwards. That could also be why his 3rd year was a player option, so he could have the option of whether he wanted to play one more year or go ahead and retire…!?
IRA makes a lot of assumptions and says a lot of baseless things. He also thinks it’s still 1995. No understanding of the game of basketball, at all. Pat Riley makes fun of him at every press conference, and it’s one of my favorite parts of Riley’s appearances
146? That’s it? From wow to a bargin in just 2 years.
I doubt MIA is worried much about Butler at this point. If they can acquire Dame, then they’ll play out the year and decide how to manage it.
I believe it’s Bam that’s about to become extension eligible (before the season starts), and I imagine they’ll slavishly comply with the custom of just extending him for the maximum amount. Although I don’t believe he’s supermax eligible, so it actually might not be a bad move.