Just when everyone was ready to point out the Miami Heat’s lack of 3-point shooting as a potential fatal flaw, the franchise got busy, bringing in veteran sharpshooters Tim Hardaway Jr. and Klay Thompson in free agency.
Hardaway and Thompson alone may knock down 400 combined 3-pointers this season, which would put the Heat among the top perimeter shooting teams in the NBA. Then you consider the others on the roster, with rather fine shooting strokes, like Andrew Wiggins, who shot 41.4 percent from 3 last season, and Bobby Portis, another offseason acquisition, who shot nearly 46 percent from beyond the arc last season.
By all accounts, the Heat has plenty of perimeter shooting around superstar forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, the franchise’s marquee summer addition. But let’s not already rule out the potential of adding another 3-point shooting superstar.
Could Miami Heat Bring Back Fan-Favorite 3-Point Sniper?
During the summer, there were some rumblings that the Detroit Pistons, the East’s reigning No. 1 seed, could move on from sharpshooting wing Duncan Robinson, the 32-year-old veteran who was acquired in a sign-and-trade from the Heat just 15 months ago. According to Heat Roundtable’s Sean Jordan, Robinson could have a path back to South Beach this season.
“Usually contending teams like to be active at the trade deadline in February and if the Heat are in a spot to add some talent, there are some names floating around in current trade discussions who could be available either through trade or contract buy-out around that point of the season,” Jordan wrote. “One name who could be available is Detroit Pistons wing Duncan Robinson, who has a strong history as a member of the Heat from 2018-2025.”
It is safe to say that Robinson has a rich history with the Heat. The former undrafted wing is the franchise leader in 3-pointers with 1,202, holds the single-season Heat record for 3-pointers, and owns the record for most 3-pointers in Heat playoff history. Those accomplishments helped make Robinson the highest-paid undrafted player in NBA history at the time.
What Would it Take to Land Robinson?
With Robinson still under contract, acquiring him would have to come via trade, unless the Pistons go the route of a contract buyout, which seems highly unlikely considering the season Robinson just had. The former Heat star averaged 12.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 45.6 percent from the field and 41 percent from deep on seven attempts per game.
According to Jordan, the Heat might have to deal young forward Nikola Jovic to acquire Robinson in a trade.
“Jovic, 23, is the Heat’s most likely trade candidate at the moment after signing his four-year rookie contract extension last season,” Jordan wrote. “The Heat extended him last October prior to the beginning of the regular season but seem to partly regret that decision already as he was basically a non-factor down the stretch of the season, only appearing in eight games post-January.”
While Robinson and Jovic have similar contracts, making a legal trade attainable, it is questionable whether the Pistons would want to absorb Jovic’s four-year, $62.4 million contract extension, which kicks in this season, even though Jovic is far younger than Robinson and supposedly has high upside potential.
Miami Heat Could Trade for All-Time 3-Point Leader in an Unexpected Reunion