East Exec Drops Truth Bomb on Heat’s $90 Million Mistake

Getty Miami Heat sharpshooter Duncan Robinson reacts during a playoff game against the Atlanta Hawks.

To say that Duncan Robinson had a down year with the Miami Heat in 2021-22 wouldn’t just be putting it lightly — it would be an understatement of epic proportions. No other player in franchise history rose to prominence so surprisingly, only to freefall in brutal fashion immediately after hitting his peak.

Over his first three years in the Association, Robinson was in a class all his own from deep, nailing 42.3% of his triples on nearly eight attempts per game. As a result, he was able to parlay a two-way pact into a fully-fledged deal and, eventually, a featured role with the title-contending Heat.

Miami was all too happy to deliver him a $90 million contract extension during the summer of 2021…

And then the roof caved in.

Robinson officially became a sub-40% shooter from the field last season, and his mediocre defense was as bad as it had ever been. So, once postseason play rolled around, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra saw fit to remove the multiyear starter from the rotation entirely, leaving his future in doubt in the process.

For those hoping to see the sharpshooter get another bite at the apple in 2022-23, one league executive has seemingly thrown a wet blanket on the notion that Robinson will be back in his old spot any time soon.

Exec: The Heat Are in a Major Jam With Robinson

Heavy.com’s Sean Deveney spoke to an Eastern Conference exec recently about Robinson’s weird situation in South Beach. And the exec made it clear that the Heat are caught between a rock and a hard place with the Michigan product.

“They’re in a jam there because they have to get him on the floor if they’re going to trade him. But, man, they obviously do not want to play him,” the exec said.

While the time that Robinson spent on the back end of Miami’s bench represents but a moment in the full scope of his career to date, the exec believes that it was enough to crater his stock in the eyes of other clubs.

“The end of the year and the playoffs, him not playing, that just kills his value. Every team is trying to find out what everyone else is thinking, how they value their players, but playing time is the ultimate way you measure it. If you’re not giving him minutes, if you don’t think he should be on the floor for you, that says how much you value him.

“And he’s getting paid $18 million a year.”

Miami Has No Shortage of Options in Filling Robinson’s Old Minutes

When Robinson was playing heavy minutes consistently — and doing so with the Heat’s best players — he was one of the deadliest snipers in the game. But given the sheer volume of other options on the team’s roster, it’s hard to see Spoelstra using him in that way again.

“They like [Max] Strus a lot, obviously. They’re hoping that [Victor] Oladipo comes through for them, I think they were pleasantly surprised by what they saw in the playoffs. They were not sure he was going to stay with them at the end of the season. but the playoffs showed them that, OK, he has a chance to get back to some percent of what he was before.”

They aren’t the only ones keeping Robinson on the bench, either. In truth, there are several higher-tier and better-rounded players in his position group.

“You have Jimmy [Butler] and [Tyler] Herro and even Gabe Vincent. They like Caleb Martin more than [Robinson]. You have a lot of guys who will be getting minutes before Robinson,” the exec said.

Again, though, keeping him at his current spot in the pecking order makes it difficult to actually get him off of the roster.

“If you want to use him in a trade, you’ve got to show he can play,” the exec added. “So, they might have to force him onto the floor, hope he makes shots early in the year and then move on a deal.”