Mobile Menu
HEADLINES

Duncan Robinson

Southeast Notes: Robinson, Hornets, Wade, Carter

August 25th, 2018 at 1:47pm CST by clarkcrum

Despite being invited to participate with USA Basketball in its World Cup qualifying round games, Heat swingman Duncan Robinson has opted to remain in Miami for informal team workouts in the hopes of landing a standard NBA contract for the upcoming season, reports Ira Winderman of the Sun-Sentinel.

“I’m really proud in the fact that Duncan Robinson has been invited to play in the international series,” said Heat team president Pat Riley, “but he decided to stay here because he wanted to make our team, he wants to force us into giving him a real (standard NBA) contract.”

Robinson, 24, signed a two-way contract with the Heat on July 10th that would limit him to 45 days in the NBA this coming season and maximum earnings of about $385K, per Winderman. A standard NBA contract at the rookie minimum would pay Robinson just north of $838K.

Robinson says that his goal in passing over the opportunity to play for Team USA is to maximize his opportunities in the Heat developmental program. “I mean the margin between having this job or being overseas or being in the G League, whatever it might be, is so thin,” Robinson said. “And I understand that. I understand I caught some breaks and was able to put myself in a situation to be successful. I’m certainly thankful for that.”

There’s more today out of the Southeast Division:

  • The Hornets have struggled to attract big name free agents since the franchise returned to North Carolina in 2004, but Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer doesn’t think it has as much to do with the city of Charlotte itself as it has to do with the team’s lack of cap space. Per Bonnell, money is the No. 1 factor in free agency and, unfortunately, the Hornets don’t have significant space under the salary cap now or in the immediate future.
  • In another piece for the Sun-Sentinel, Winderman opines that Riley is fully committed to signing Wade to a free agent contract this summer, luxury tax concerns be darned. Riley’s greater concern would be Wade’s level of commitment. Per Winderman, Riley would likely want a commitment from Wade that this season isn’t simply a retirement tour, but that Wade is seriously interested in making the Heat a better team.
  • While Vince Carter could have spurned the Hawks and signed with a serious title contender this offseason, he tells Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution that such a quest is “not his style.” Rather, Carter will be relied upon to be a veteran influence over the youthful roster Atlanta has assembled. “Let them see me and let them see how annoying I can be, but in a good way,” Carter said during an introductory press conference. “I’m going to stay in their ear. At least you know at any time throughout the year, whether it’s practice games, any situation, they will have me to fall back on. Or I’ll come up to them and help them out any way I can.”
Retweet 3 Share 0 Send via email0

Heat Notes: Vaughn, Stoudemire, Whiteside, Robinson

July 15th, 2018 at 10:55am CST by Arthur Hill

At age 21, former first-round pick Rashad Vaughn is trying to salvage his NBA career, relays Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. Vaughn was part of the Heat’s entry in the Las Vegas Summer League, hoping to earn another shot after being traded twice and waived twice last season.

Vaughn was taken by the Bucks with the 17th pick in the 2015 draft, but his career tailed off quickly after a promising rookie season. In February, Milwaukee dealt him to the Nets, who sent him to the Pelicans two days later. After being waived by New Orleans, Vaughn signed two 10-day contracts with the Magic, but wasn’t kept when the second one expired.

“This is kind of my journey,” Vaughn said. “I’ve got to take a look at it and see what I did wrong and go from there and continue to try to just persevere from there.”

There’s more news out of Miami:

  • Amar’e Stoudemire, who will be back in Miami this week with the Big3 League, is also hoping for another NBA opportunity, Winderman writes in a separate story. Stoudemire, 35, sat out last season after winning a championship in Israel the year before. He said he would be interested in a return to the Heat, but hasn’t spoken to anyone from the team. “As of right now, I’m showing my athletic ability and the way I move,” Stoudemire said. “I think a lot of teams haven’t really seen me play since the last time I played in Israel, so I just want them to see I have great heath and am able to be on that level. Once they see how healthy I am and how good I feel, I think teams will be able to sign me at that point.”
  • The Heat have been open about their desire to trade Hassan Whiteside, but Stoudemire believes his former teammate can succeed in Miami, Winderman adds in the same story. Stoudemire said Whiteside needs to work on his post skills this summer and become a more effective inside scorer. “You can’t be satisfied with the money and the fame; you have to be able to work to become great,” Stoudemire said. “And that’s one thing that a lot players don’t understand. You can have amazing potential, but you’re never going to reach that potential unless you put in that work.”
  • Duncan Robinson was among the biggest winners in summer league, earning a two-way contract with the Heat. Robinson quickly impressed the team with his outside shot, summer league coach Eric Glass tells Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. “He came in and really played well and shot it like we thought and showed us that he can do a couple other things on the court that we liked,” Glass said. “And obviously a two-way came out of that, which he really earned.”
Retweet 1 Share 0 Send via email0

Heat Sign Duncan Robinson To Two-Way Contract

July 10th, 2018 at 2:10pm CST by Luke Adams

3:10pm: The deal is now official, according to a press release from the team.

12:43pm: The Heat will sign Duncan Robinson to one of their two-way contract slots, according to Michael Scotto of The Athletic (Twitter link). League sources tell Scotto that Robinson has agreed to a one-year two-way deal with Miami.

[RELATED: 2018/19 NBA Two-Way Contract Tracker]

After starting his college career at D-III school Williams College, Robinson headed to Michigan and spent the last three years with the Wolverines.

The 6’8″ guard/forward averaged a modest 9.3 PPG in his three seasons at Michigan, but showed off an impressive outside stroke, converting 41.9% of his three-pointers. During his time with the Wolverines, 565 of Robinson’s 785 field goal attempts came from beyond the arc.

Robinson has been playing for Miami’s Summer League squad and is averaging a team-high 14.0 PPG in two Las Vegas contests. He also looked good in the Sacramento Summer League last week, averaging 11.3 PPG on 57.1% shooting.

The Heat carried Derrick Jones and Derrick Walton as their two-way players in 2017/18, but opened up one of those slots when they signed Jones to a standard NBA deal last week. The team currently has a qualifying offer out to Walton, so it’s possible he’ll return alongside Robinson in that other two-way slot.

Retweet 3 Share 0 Send via email0

Draft Workouts: Sixers, Grizzlies, Pacers, Hornets, T-Wolves

June 18th, 2018 at 9:55pm CST by Dana Gauruder

The Sixers will host Kentucky forward Kevin Knox and Texas Tech guard Zhaire Smith for the second time on Tuesday, according to a team release. Knox’s workout will be separate from the other six players they will bring in, including Smith. The Sixers hold the No. 10 selection in the lottery. Knox is currently ranked No. 9 by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, while Smith is slotted at No. 16.

The other members of the group workout are all guards, including B.J. Johnson (La Salle), De’Anthony Melton (USC), Tyler Nelson (Fairfield), Malik Newman (Kansas) and Landry Shamet (Wichita State). Melton (No. 24, Givony) is a possibility for the Sixers with their other first-rounder at No. 26.

We have numerous other draft workouts to pass along:

Retweet 6 Share 0 Send via email0

West Draft Workouts: Blazers, Kings, Carter, Warriors

June 14th, 2018 at 3:04pm CST by Luke Adams

Several of the Trail Blazers‘ previously-reported workouts are happening today, with Josh Okogie (Georgia Tech), Billy Preston (Bosnia), and Landry Shamet (Wichita State) among the prospects paying a visit to the team, per a press release.

In addition to those players, Portland is also taking a closer look at Khyri Thomas (Creighton), Troy Brown (Oregon), MiKyle McIntosh (Oregon), and De’Anthony Melton (USC). All seven of the prospects auditioning for the Trail Blazers today rank within Jonathan Givony’s top 100 at ESPN.com, with several considered viable candidates to be Portland’s pick at No. 24 overall.

Here are more updates on pre-draft works from around the Western Conference:

  • The Kings will be bringing in Duke big man Wendell Carter Jr. for a visit on Saturday, the team announced today. As Sean Cunningham of ABC10 notes (via Twitter), Carter won’t work out during that visit, since Sacramento already saw him work out in Los Angeles last month.
  • LiAngelo Ball is among the prospects participating in a group workout for the Warriors on Friday, according to the team (Twitter link via Mark Medina of The San Jose Mercury News). Nana Foulland (Bucknell), Daxter Miles (West Virginia), Tai Odiase (Chicago-Illinois), Nuni Omot (Baylor), and Duncan Robinson (Michigan) will also take part.
  • International prospect Elie Okobo, who is considered a good bet to come off the board in the second half of the first round, will work out for the Timberwolves this weekend, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News.
  • UNLV’s Brandon McCoy has a workout on tap with the Mavericks and still intends to work out with four or five other teams before draft night, tweets Chase Hughes of NBC Sports Washington.
Retweet 2 Share 0 Send via email0

Eastern Notes: Hood, Ellington, Knicks, Sixers

June 12th, 2018 at 10:51pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The consensus among NBA insiders is that Rodney Hood cost himself a significant amount of future earnings in free agency after struggling to find his way in the playoffs, Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com writes. Hood made slightly under $3.39M this past season and is set to become a restricted free agent once the league’s new year begins July 1.

Sources tell Vardon that the Cavaliers still like Hood and can envision a future with him on the team. The shooting guard fell out of the rotation during the latter half of the team’s postseason run before playing 52 minutes over the team’s last two NBA Finals contests. He finished the postseason with a plus/minus of -92 in a total of 260 minutes.

Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:

Retweet 9 Share 0 Send via email0

Draft Workouts: Simons, Allen, Grizzlies, Knicks

June 6th, 2018 at 9:15am CST by Luke Adams

IMG Academy guard Anfernee Simons, projected as a possible first-round pick, has a busy workout schedule leading up to the 2018 NBA draft. Having already auditioned for the Lakers, Trail Blazers, Suns, and Bulls, Simons will reportedly work out for the Magic as well, as we heard on Monday. During Simons’ Tuesday workout with the Lakers, he added several more teams to that list, confirming that he’ll also get a look from the Jazz, Knicks, Sixers, and Bucks, as Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com relays.

That workout with the Jazz will happen on Thursday, league sources tell Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter link).

While Simons has a wide range of potential landing spots, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony has the youngster coming off the board at No. 38 to the Sixers in his latest mock draft.

Here are a few more updates and notes on pre-draft prospect workouts:

Retweet 6 Share 0 Send via email0

Draft Notes: Huell, Rose, Pipkins, Caroline

May 26th, 2018 at 5:05pm CST by Arthur Hill

With the deadline to withdraw from the draft coming on Wednesday, several players have reached their final decisions. Among them is Miami forward Dewan Huell, who will return to school for his junior season, writes Jordan McPherson of The Miami Herald.

Huell, who made a formal announcement on Twitter earlier today, averaged 11.4 points and 6.7 rebounds in 32 games this season. “I’m really excited to get back to work with my brothers so we can accomplish more than ever during the 2018-19 season,” he wrote.

Huell doesn’t appear in the list of top 100 prospects compiled by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony and would have been a long shot to be drafted.

There’s more draft-related news to pass along:

Retweet 7 Share 0 Send via email0

Draft Workouts: Lakers, Simons, Wizards, Nuggets

May 22nd, 2018 at 8:55am CST by Luke Adams

While the Lakers don’t hold their own first-round pick in this year’s draft, the club is currently armed with a pair of selections at 25th and 47th overall, and is doing its due diligence on potential selections. One prospect earning a look from Los Angeles is Duke guard Gary Trent Jr., who will work out for the club on Wednesday, per Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link).

Before they bring in Trent, the Lakers will work out six prospects on Tuesday, according to a team release. Emmett Naar (St. Mary’s), Barry Brown (Kansas State), Fletcher Magee (Wofford), Gabe DeVoe (Clemson), Duncan Robinson (Michigan), and Obi Enechionyia (Temple) are auditioning for L.A.

Here’s more draft workout news from around the NBA:

Retweet 3 Share 0 Send via email0