5:53pm: Both moves are official, according to a team press release.
10:44am: The Heat are making a minor change to their roster, according to Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel, who reports (via Twitter) that the team will waive two-way player Dru Smith and sign Orlando Robinson to a two-way contract to fill the newly opened spot.
Both Smith and Robinson were in training camp with the Heat this fall. Smith earned a two-way spot at the end of the preseason, while Robinson was waived and eventually became an affiliate player for the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Miami’s G League team.
However, with center Omer Yurtseven expected to miss a significant chunk of the 2022/23 season due to ankle surgery, the Heat have a greater need in the frontcourt than on the wing. Robinson is a center; Smith is a shooting guard.
Miami does have an open spot on its 15-man standard roster and could sign a more experienced center to fill that opening, but doing so would put team salary above the luxury tax threshold for the season. Two-way contracts don’t count against the cap or tax.
Robinson, 22, went undrafted out of Fresno State earlier this year. The big man averaged 19.4 PPG, 8.4 RPG, and 2.9 APG on .484/.352/.716 shooting in 36 games (33.2 MPG) as a junior in 2021/22. He has gotten off to a strong start for the Skyforce this season, putting up 20.0 PPG, 9.3 RPG, and 2.5 APG in four starts (31.3 MPG).
Smith, who went undrafted in 2021 and played for Sioux Falls as a rookie, made his NBA debut last month, logging six minutes of garbage time during a blowout win over Portland on October 26. It was the only game he played in for the Heat.
Jamal Cain occupies Miami’s other two-way slot and should be unaffected by the Heat’s roster moves.
Strus is playing well, don’t need Smith. Yurtseven just got injured. This seems pretty logical, and even though its an emergency move, this could be good for both Robinson & the Heat long-term. 2 Robinsons in Miami now. I bet Orlando gets more minutes than Duncan in the next few weeks.
Not a fan of this. I thought Smith should have played in a couple of matchups they ended up losing in, and would prefer the depth 1-3. Robinson makes sense, in terms of depth for Yurtseven, but they dont really need that as of now. They need a smallball 5
Robinson is mostly an offensive 5, somewhat similar skillset to Yurtseven, but much more raw. He does potentially give them an option as a floor spacing big, which they could use, but I dont see many matchups where they’ll use him over Dedmon, and in the matchups Dedmon shouldn’t play, he wouldn’t be the answer either, and they need that smallball 5 option
That being said, if theh needed to include Yurtseven’s salary in a trade, he would be a project to hold onto there, though you would prefer to not have to move Yurtseven, even though he is injured. If its necessary, however, to add what they need at the smallball 5/at the 4, it would be understandable, though frustrating b/c of what they could have just done in the offseason differently to not be in that situation
Covington, if he wasn’t so expensive would be a decent addition, but I wouldn’t give up the future for him. Tough choice. Maybe some guys shake loose at the deadline, and through waivers?
There are guys currently available, but they dont want to add a 15th man and go slightly into the luxury tax b/c of potential repeater tax a couple of years from now…the salary structure on this roster right now makes it difficult to make a trade without giving up a key piece or 2 b/c they have little other choice to match salaries in a deal
Orlando Robinson is the real deal.
He’s a big boy, loves to put up good numbers, puts up 20 and 10 regularly. Can stretch the floor and should only improve with more development as he is a bit raw. Really think with the right coaches and in due time he could be a force in this league.
I see Orlando’s upside as a smaller built LaMarcus Aldridge
Every bit as crafty n dynamic with the ball
His jumper will settle with reps
His numbers are steady and efficient
He is slow laterally
But so was Yurt7
So roll the kid out
Heat dev