Martin sees two-way deal as an opportunity to showcase his talents
Caleb Martin is going from a standard NBA contract with the Charlotte Hornets to a two-way deal with the Miami Heat, but he doesn’t view it as a demotion.
Martin, who turns 26 on Sept. 28, sees it as an opportunity to “show everybody that I belong” after he was waived by the Hornets in August.
“The culture and the reputation were the big things that caught my eye,” Martin said about what intrigued him about the Heat. “Obviously, the coaching staff and just everybody that’s involved over here. One of the things they said was they’re big on development. They’re going to work with me and do the best they can to make me the best player I can be.”
Martin, who signed a two-way contract with the Heat on Tuesday, spent the past two seasons on the Hornets’ 15-man roster after going undrafted in 2019 out of Nevada. The 6-5 wing earned a spot in Charlotte’s rotation, averaging 5.3 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 71 NBA games, including four starts, over the past two seasons.
Martin now finds himself with the Heat on a two-way deal, which is usually reserved for undrafted rookies or those with very little NBA experience. In terms of two-way contract players around the league, Martin is a savvy veteran.
“You hear a lot of great things about the organization in Miami,” he said. “It’s clear that they bring in winning players and a winning culture, and they do a great job of molding guys and developing guys through their program. Obviously, those were all key points for me when it’s time to choose somewhere to go.”
The list of former Heat two-way contract players includes Derrick Jones Jr., Duncan Robinson, Max Strus, Gabe Vincent, Kyle Alexander, Matt Williams Jr., Derrick Walton Jr., Daryl Macon, Yante Maten and Chris Silva. Three of those players — Robinson, Strus and Vincent — enter this upcoming season with standard contracts from the Heat.
“It’s evident that they try to find gems and they try to find pieces,” Martin said. “They bring guys that they believe can contribute or that they believe they can mold into culture; guys that they want to keep around. Even though I’m a two-way, my goal is to come in and make an impact right away with my experience and my skill set and my athleticism and just be active.”
The Heat’s other two-way contract player entering the Sept. 28 start of training camp is undrafted Kansas rookie guard Marcus Garrett. Teams can carry up to two players on two-way deals, and those players can be on their NBA team’s active list for as many as 50 regular-season games.
With the Heat expected to enter the season with 14 players signed to standard contracts — one below the NBA limit — to avoid crossing the luxury tax threshold and one of those players (guard Victor Oladipo) expected to miss the first few months of the season as he recovers from knee surgery, it’s not hard to envision Martin logging important minutes this season.
When asked to describe his game, Martin said: “I just think I’m a two-way player. I think I bring a defensive tenacity on the court. I think I bring a grittiness to the defensive end, a spark off the bench. I have the capability to score, as well. I can get hot and get buckets at the same time.”
At this point, Martin can probably help the Heat most on the defensive end. His combination of athleticism and size at 6-5 and 205 pounds makes him a versatile defender that will add to Miami’s impressive defensive mix.
“Definitely one through four,” Martin said of which positions he can defend. “I even feel comfortable playing the five, to be honest with you, just because I can use different tactics to guard bigger guys and get up on them on the ball and disrupt them putting it on the floor.”
To make the most of any role he has with the Heat, though, Martin will probably need to make a respectable percentage of his threes. After shooting threes exceptionally well in his first NBA season (20 for 37/54.1 percent), he finished just 31 for 125 from deep last season (24.8 percent).
But the move to Miami will require one big adjustment, as he’ll be away from his twin brother Cody for the longest stretch of their lives. They spent their entire college careers together and were roommates as Hornets teammates for the past two seasons. Cody still on Charlotte’s roster.
“Obviously, it sucks. He’s my best friend,” Martin said. “But everybody leaves their best friend all the time. So that’s a good thing about having technology and FaceTime and Call of Duty. We’re going to keep in touch every day.”
Anthony Chiang: 305-376-4991, @Anthony_Chiang