The Heat have officially re-signed sharpshooter Duncan Robinson, the team announced today in a press release. The five-year, $90MM deal, which reportedly includes an early termination option after the fourth year, was one of the first agreements reached during the free agent period on Monday.
“Duncan is the epitome of everybody who’s ever had a dream about being a great NBA player,” team president Pat Riley said in a statement. “I have never been around a player who worked as hard, fastidiously working on what he needed to do in order to improve his game. Not just his shooting, but his overall game. Having Duncan back was very critical for us.”
Robinson, 27, has been a full-time starter for the Heat over the last two seasons, averaging 13.3 PPG, 3.3 RPG, and 1.6 APG with an impressive .454/.427/.878 shooting line in 145 games (30.5 MPG) during that time. Miami made him a restricted free agent prior to the start of free agency by extending him a $4.7MM qualifying offer.
If the Heat had used cap room this summer, it would have made sense for them to keep Robinson’s small cap hold on their books while they used up all their space, then go over the cap to finalize his deal. However, the club will operate over the cap instead, having agreed to acquire Kyle Lowry via sign-and-trade rather than signing him with cap room. As such, there was no reason not to complete Robinson’s contract right away when the moratorium lifted today.
That Lowry deal is not yet official, as the Heat and the Raptors have spent much of the week negotiating the terms of the sign-and-trade, but it should just be a matter of time before the two teams figure it out and make an announcement.
Love everything Pat Riley said here.
Duncan Robinson…man, I just have so much to say about him, and I feel that connection. He instantly jumped out at me while I was checking out players before summer league that year, and I instantly started jokingly calling him “Klay Thompson.” Then I watched him play, and it started becoming a little less of a joke, and I almost couldnt believe it. I still continued to facetiously call him that moving forward, but he didnt get a chance to really play his rookie year, where he spent most of it in the D-League with the Skyforce, and was a force for them by the way…Even so, when the limited amount he played, I remember being in the arena (That may have been my first season ticket year, or my 2nd), and literally standing up out of my seat every time it looked like he was going to get an opportunity to get a jumpshot, and yelled “Klay Thompson?” Excitedly in anticipation every time, regardless of result, and people would literally turn around and look at me like I was crazy or what was I talking about lol. It was still partially a joke at the time, but I always laughed it off…When that 2nd year summer league came around, you saw the transformation in his body, and the work he did to add that quicker first step, and that more explosive defensive movement, and you also saw that “Klay Thompson” joke in a lot more serious way. When he started the season, I kept doing the exact thing I was talking about, still receiving those same looks. Early in the season, I got a chance to meet him at a Miami Heat season ticket holder event, and had to go take a picture with him, if anything just for the joke to stay alive. It was actually really funny. He was wearing this turquoise polo shirt, standing in kind of this awkward way near one of the food tables, literally like a regular dude. I went up to him, shook his hand, my friend took the picture for me, and after I thanked him, I told him “I’ve been a really big fan since right before summer league. You dont even know how good you are. Keep on going.” I might have added another thing, but that was essentially it, and he thanked me, and really seemed genuinely appreciative, was a really straight up dude, and I left…The next night he knocked down 9 3s against Cleveland, and I was losing my mind in my seat. He also just continued to get better, both defensively, and putting the ball on the floor. He is just such a perfect fit next to Butler and Bam, and is extremely important to this team. I still call him “Klay Thompson.” I literally only refer to him by his actual name when I’m typing it to other people, or talking about him to people that dont know the joke lol. If you look at his numbers, they are extremely reminiscent of Klay his first couple of years, making that nickname as close to reality as it gets….It sucks the pandemic kept people from being able to witness that Finals run b/c I would have been in my season ticket seat going crazy, and the arena was really rocking before the pandemic hit.
Couldnt be happier for this dude to get paid like this. He 1000% deserves it.
Sooooo…. you like the guy?
Dude went from being a D3 college player to Michigan to undrafted to $90 million. How could you not
I saw him debut at Summer League a couple of years back. At the time, Herro was the primary draw. But wow did Robinson light it up. It’s fun to watch a player evolve like this.