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Some things in life just feel guaranteed these days. Death, taxes, and Twitter feuds over how Twitter should be run by the person running Twitter, to name a few. Another guarantee so far this century has been the Miami Heat somehow finding ways to eke out the most talent from a sometimes lackluster roster.
But according to ex-All-Star-turned-broadcaster Charles Barkley, those days might be coming to a close. On Inside the NBA this week, Barkley opined that Miami might be headed for a full-on rebuild after the team’s disastrous start to the season.
“It might be time to break the team up and start over,” Barkley said. “They got some contracts that’s like … they’re no good. So, they need to start over. That’s my personal opinion, it’s like, hey, trade some of these guys to contenders or teams that [can] get us some young guys and start over.”
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If Miami did indeed blow it up, it would be an uncharacteristic step from a franchise that’s become near-playoff-locks so far this century.
The Heat’s Incredible Playoff History
Since the turn of the century, the Heat have missed the playoffs just six times. Not sure where that stands? The Charlotte Hornets, for example, have made the playoffs just five times. Total.
In fact, the Heat have the third-most playoff wins (135) of any franchise since 2000, trailing just the San Antonio Spurs (151) and Los Angeles Lakers (141) for that honor. One would have to add up the totals from the teams with the five-fewest playoff appearances (254) since 2000 (Hornets, Kings, Knicks, Timberwolves, and Pelicans) to eclipse Miami’s total over the same span (229).
How has Miami kept this improbable streak alive? Yes, having the Heatles in the early 2010s was helpful. But that was just a four-year stretch. Since then, Miami has gone full phoenix-rising-from-the-ashes mode, again and again, to remake itself into a playoff team. That includes hitting on (and then selling on) players like Caleb Martin, Bam Adebayo, Max Strus, Gabe Vincent, Hassan Whiteside, Tyler Herro, and even Nikola Jovic, in his limited time as a rookie this season.
But as Barkley alluded to, the Heat have found themselves in a nasty contract hole, something they were once kings at avoiding.
Duncan Robinson’s Contract Labeled ‘Worst’ in NBA
According to an NBA executive who spoke with Heavy Sports’ Sean Deveney, Heat wing Duncan Robinson’s contract is in rarefied air. And not in a good way.
“You can argue that, for its length, he has the worst contract in the league. There are other big ones that are bad, like what the Knicks are paying Julius Randle or the Ben Simmons contract, but those are guys who have value because they can still produce. And there are bad ones like (Davis) Bertans in Dallas, where he just got overpaid because he was in the right place at the right time.”
What sets Robinson apart, however, is the fact that his deal is a combination of all three negative factors.
“With Robinson, though, he has a big deal, a long deal, and a bad deal—he has all three there. The Heat have him signed through 2026, and you just do not know what level he is going to be able to help you at from here on. He has been really bad as a shooter, and we know he can’t defend, so what is he bringing to the table?”
For what it’s worth, the Heat are doing their best to move on from Robinson’s contract. Whether the team gets anything of value in return remains to be seen. But knowing the Heat, chances are they can make an NBA contributor out of just about anyone.
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