The Miami Heat have minimal flexibility to make roster upgrades due to a loaded salary cap sheet, but there is at least one way in which the team might be able to add a meaningful contributor to the rotation this summer.
Caleb Martin declined his $7 million player option on the 2024-25 season, opting instead to enter free agency. The Bleacher Report Live Stream projected that Martin is looking for upwards of $20 million annually and might realistically expect to earn a few million dollars less than that per season from the right team in the right situation.
One far-flung option for Martin that would also benefit his former team would be a sign and trade deal with the Toronto Raptors for a versatile player who won a championship ring with the Denver Nuggets following the 2022-23 season.
“Sign and trade: Bruce Brown for Caleb Martin,” the Bleacher Report Live Streamers suggested on Tuesday, July 2. “If Caleb’s like, ‘Look, I’m leaving.’ Why not give Miami that cap flexibility of giving them an expiring contract in Bruce Brown? [Brown] probably plays for Miami next year and is a decent fit. And then the Raptors get a wing, which they desperately need.”
Bruce Brown Has Had Eclectic Career Over 6 Years in NBA
Brown has produced a solid career despite stints with five teams — the Detroit Pistons, Brooklyn Nets, Nuggets, Indiana Pacers and Raptors — across his six-year NBA career.
He stood out with Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving and James Harden in Brooklyn as a frequent starter who often played in the front court despite his 6-foot-4 stature. He averaged a career-high 11.5 points per game as a small forward for the Nuggets in 2022-23, appearing in 80 of 82 regular-season games for a team that went on to dominate in the playoffs on its way to a title.
The Pacers gave Brown the first big payday of his career, signing him to two-year deal worth $45 million in July 2023. The second year of that contract, which represents next season, is a team option that currently belongs to Toronto after that organization traded for his rights in January 2024.
Brown has posted career averages of 8.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 0.9 steals, according to Basketball Reference. He is also a career 33.7% 3-point shooter on just 1.8 attempts per game, though he shot nearly 36% from deep during Denver’s title season and sunk 40.4% of his 3-point tries the year prior with the Nets.
Caleb Martin Made NBA Name for Himself With Monster ECF Series Against Celtics in 2023
Brown isn’t a precise replacement for Martin, though he does bring a versatile skill set that could help Miami replace the wing player who has played a main role for the Heat over the past three seasons.
Martin will be a significant loss for the Heat after averaging career-highs in points (10.0) and assists (2.2) last season as a part-time starter (23 starts in 64 regular-season appearances), per Basketball Reference.
He played a key role during the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics in 2023, averaging 19.3 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game during that series. He also shot 48.9% from behind the arc in the Heat’s seven-game series win.
Martin and Miami went on to lose to Brown and the Nuggets in the Finals in five games.
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