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The Miami Heat have proved to be one of the best evaluators and developers of talent in the NBA over the past five years.
Their latest project is 7-footer Orlando Robinson, an undrafted free agent who appears primed for development in the Heat’s system. The team signed him July 7 to an Exhibit 10 contract, a one-year, non-guaranteed deal at the league-minimum salary (expected to be just over a million dollars).
Orlando Robinson in Miami
The deal is essentially a guaranteed invite to Heat training camp, where he can compete for a full-time roster spot but will likely be moved to the Heat’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce in South Dakota.
Robinson played for the Fresno State Bulldogs in college, averaging an impressive 19.4 points, 8.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.19 blocks per game. He also impressed on the Heat’s summer league team in last week’s California Classic, helping him center earn the Exhibit 10 contract.
One Eastern Conference executive told Heavy’s NBA insider, Sean Deveney, that he expects Robinson to make an NBA roster.
“He was a big-time sleeper for me. I think he is a guy with a future in the league,” the executive said. “Legit 7-footer, huge wingspan (7-foot-4). He has an old-school game because he does a lot of back-to-the-basket stuff. He can post you up and make you pay if you send a double team. He is a good passer, he can chew up real estate in the paint, he has a go-to move and a counter. There’s not a lot of teams that do that anymore, but it is still a useful skillset.
“He is not a bad shooter, but the big gamble you take is whether he can stretch his range,” the Eastern Conference executive told Deveney. “You have to develop that part of him. But the rest? He is there already. If he can shoot a little, he is an NBA player for sure.”
Heat Roster Updates
Robinson could find himself on the Heat roster or on a two-way contract. Currently, Miami’s two-way roster spots are taken up by Javonte Smart and Mychal Mulder. But if Robinson has a strong summer league and training camp, he could be a strong addition to the Heat and another example of the Heat’s ability to evaluate and develop young talent.
Another example is the July 6 signing of Caleb Martin, who turned an open-scrimmage invite to a rotation player last season. Martin, 26, signed a three-year, $20 million deal.
The list also includes players such as Gabe Vincent, Max Strus and even Duncan Robinson.
When his desire to return to Miami, Martin cited his development with the Heat as a major factor.
“I want to be here [in Miami],” he said during his exit interview on May 31. “I got better here. … I feel like my team and my staff believes in me and believes that I’m going to get better here.”
The Heat, of course, remain connected to rumors and speculation regarding the looming trades of the Brooklyn Nets’ Kevin Durant and the Utah Jazz’s Donovan Mitchell. The New York Daily News reported June 30 that Mitchell’s top trade destination is the Heat.
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