The Miami Heat has already added some sharpshooters this offseason, firmly putting to bed the notion that the team lacks 3-point marksmen, but there might be one more move out there that could make the Heat even more dangerous.
One thing Miami can never have enough of next to Giannis Antetokounmpo is elite perimeter shooting.
A potential three-team trade with the Detroit Pistons and Houston Rockets could give the Heat a familiar face who happens to be one of the NBA’s most proven movement shooters.
Duncan Robinson, who spent the first five seasons of his career in Miami, is coming off one of the best shooting seasons of his career. He knocked down 41 percent of his 3-point attempts for Detroit last season while averaging 12.2 points in 27.4 minutes per game.
Here’s a simple trade framework that could bring Robinson back to South Beach.
Heat receive: Duncan Robinson
Pistons receive: Nikola Jovic and a 2031 second-round pick (via Miami)
Rockets receive: Gary Harris
This trade is hypothetical and intended to explore one way Miami could add another elite shooter around Antetokounmpo while helping Detroit trim its roster and giving Houston another shooter off the bench.
Why a Duncan Robinson Reunion Makes Sense for the Miami Heat
GettyMIAMI, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 26: Duncan Robinson #55 of the Miami Heat looks on against the San Antonio Spurs during their game at FTX Arena on February 26, 2022 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
The Heat didn’t want to trade Jovic to land Thompson … because it knew Thompson was Miami-bound anyway. (The veteran sharpshooter is expected to join Miami on a two-year, $13 million deal once he clears waivers.) But the Heat might be willing to trade Jovic for Robinson, effectively landing two 3-point snipers for the price of one.
Robinson, 32, averaged 12.2 points, 2.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 77 games for Detroit last season, shooting 45.6 percent from the field and an excellent 41.0 percent from beyond the arc on 7.0 attempts per game.
Antetokounmpo’s greatest offensive strength is his ability to collapse a defense around the basket. Robinson excelled in Miami with Jimmy Butler. Robinson would almost certainly excel in Miami with Antetokounmpo.
The former Heat wingman has made 1,398 3-pointers during his career and is a career 39.9 percent shooter from beyond the arc.
Robinson became one of the NBA’s premier volume shooters during his time in Miami, including a 2019-20 season in which he made 3.7 threes per game while shooting 44.6 percent from deep as he helped the Heat march to the Finals. He also started 68 of Miami’s 73 regular-season games that season. He has appeared in 83 playoff games and shot 41.0 percent from 3 across his postseason career.
Why the Detroit, Houston Could Make the Trade
The Pistons would send out Robinson and Gary Harris while receiving Nikola Jovic and a future second round pick from Miami.
Jovic gives Detroit a young forward to install as a potential long-term building block. The Pistons already have the foundation of a burgeoning championship contender. Jovic could add to that.
Detroit currently has 16 standard contracts in the framework before the trade. Moving Harris as part of the deal allows the Pistons to get down to the NBA’s 15-player standard roster limit.
The Rockets would receive Harris, who would give Houston another experienced perimeter option who can space the floor off the bench. The veteran guard shot 41.2 percent from three last season, albeit in only 48 games, while averaging 2.7 points in a limited role.
Meanwhile, with Robinson, the Heat would have at least four players who are categorized as elite 3-point shooters. So much for the “they have no shooting” gimmick.
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