Addition of former Heat role player adds legitimacy to 76ers' championship pursuit

The 76ers continued their excellent offseason on Saturday, as they are reportedly finalizing a contract with small forward Caleb Martin.

The former Heat wing was a valuable role player on Miami's run to the 2023 NBA Finals, and his addition adds legitimacy to Philadelphia's pursuit of its fourth league title.

Since 2017-18, the Sixers are one of four teams with a win percentage above .600 and the only one without a championship. Despite their recent regular season success, they have nothing to show for it.

Philadelphia already made the biggest splash in free agency by agreeing on a deal with forward Paul George.

The nine-time All-Star is coming off his best shooting season in his 14-year NBA career, setting career-highs in field-goal percentage (47.1%), three-point percentage (41.3%) and free-throw percentage (90.7%) while averaging 22.6 points, 5.2 rebounds. 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

He's arguably center Joel Embiid's best running mate and, along with guard Tyrese Maxey, gives the 76ers one of the league's strongest three-man lineups.

Of course, teams need depth to realistically challenge for a title, and Martin's signing gives Philadelphia a rotational wing with starting capabilities and a track record of playoff success.

Over the last two postseasons, Martin has averaged 12.5 points and 5.1 rebounds in 31.1 minutes per game, appearing in 28 contests with nine starts. He made 51.8% of his field goals, including 42.6% from beyond the arc.

Per ESPN's unofficial 76ers depth chart , he slots in as the starting shooting guard after playing roughly 66% of his minutes at the two-guard in 2023-24, per Basketball Reference play-by-play data .

Philadelphia has also agreed to contracts with backup guard Eric Gordon and center Andre Drummond to further bolster its bench. It re-signed Kelly Oubre Jr., who started 52 games in 2023-24, his first season with the Sixers, and averaged 15.4 points, five rebounds and 1.1 steals per game.

While Philadelphia's offseason is off to an outstanding start, the front office's work might not be done.

The Sixers selected point guard Jared McCain with the No. 16 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, but they still might want to find a veteran to back up Maxey.

However, the team's activity so far has already raised its ceiling for the upcoming season. Martin's reported addition isn't the biggest signing Philadelphia has made in free agency, but it could be just as consequential to its championship push.