The Dallas Mavericks have completed a trade with the Philadelphia 76ers to acquire forward Caleb Martin in exchange for guard Quentin Grimes and a 2025 second-round draft pick.
This is the second move the Mavericks have made before the Thursday trade deadline. The first was a historic trade to send 25-year-old superstar Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Dallas will likely welcome Martin to the organization later this week and expect the forward to play meaningful minutes for the team once he recovers from a hip injury that has forced him to miss the last 12 games.
Martin has put together an incredibly solid season during his 31 appearances this year, collecting averages of 9.1 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game while shooting 37.9% from the three-point line.
Although Mavericks General Manager Nico Harrison was expected to make another move before the trade deadline, the franchise’s decision to trade away Grimes was another surprising move.
This most recent trade comes as a shock due to Grimes’s and Martin’s age and contract situations.
Grimes is only 24 years old and has become a meaningful contributor for the Mavericks this season despite signing just a one-year contract in the offseason.
However, there has been no indication about whether Grimes would be interested in remaining with Dallas in the future and could have chosen to sign with an opposing team in the upcoming offseason.
On the other hand, Martin is already 29 years old and signed a four-year contract worth $32 million with the 76ers in the most recent offseason.
In addition to Martin preparing to play an important role with the Mavericks this season, his contract could also become an incredibly enticing trade piece for opposing franchises in the future.
The most reasonable explanation for this trade comes with the arrival of new guard Max Christie, who was traded to Dallas along with forward Anthony Davis, who is just 21 years old.
Christie is a solid player on both ends of the floor and will likely be expected to play a major role for the Mavericks for the foreseeable future, with the potential to become a starting player for the team within the next two seasons.
While Christie is expected to make his season debut tonight in a road matchup against the 76ers, it remains unclear when Davis and Martin will make their debuts for the Mavericks.