The Miami Heat have a lot to figure out in the offseason. One of the most intriguing scenarios revolves around a guy that got new money prior to this latest season and for good reason.
Being among the best shooters in the league when he was and is right, Duncan Robinson found himself in a very tough position this season. Though he still shot just above 37 percent from three this year, a very respectable shooting percentage on eight attempts per game, it isn’t good enough for a guy like him.
When you consider that he shot 41 and 45 percent on more attempts in the previous two seasons plus the $100 million dollars, give or take, that the Miami Heat Heat gave him, you need more consistency from him and something closer to what has gotten him this far.
Here lies the conundrum though. Most people already have Duncan Robinson shipped out the door but—is that getting too far ahead of one’s self?
Miami Heat: The Duncan Robinson Question That No One Is Asking
You have to ask yourself a question if you are Pat Riley and the Miami Heat. Well, you have to go through a series of questions and thoughts.
Would you rather try to move him now, cutting your losses, or would you rather see him return to top form? Is it a situation where what he could be and has shown to be isn’t worth the price to see if it happens?
The contract is an average value of $18 million dollars over the next four years. With that, you also have to consider where he stands in the eyes of executives and teams across the league right now.
While there is always value in a guy that has shown to be as potent from range as Duncan Robinson has, the guys trying to make the best deal for their sides would only highlight how poor he was in this past season to lower the price.
Miami Heat: Pat Riley Seemed To Really Still Be In Duncan Robinson’s Corner
It’s a noble cause for them, one which you can’t be mad about because their job is to make their own teams better, but you can’t rob yourself like that if you are Pat Riley and the Miami Heat. They are way too smart to do that.
Listen we know how good Duncan Robinson can be at his best, you just have to see it again to know it’s there. With him at or near his peak and with improvement, he could, once again, help catapult the Miami Heat.
Again, you just don’t know when he’ll get back there. With recency bias, emotion, and the sting of last season fresh on the mind, and what seems like the successful insertion of Max Strus into the Miami Heat starting lineup, it may seem like an easy answer or choice, but it really isn’t.
How the Heat play it will be interesting. Because even though Pat Riley is the king of the NBA deal and how to get it done, perhaps talking Duncan up at the end-of-season press conference could be a way of sweetening the waters.
However, he could have also been serious about the tone he took—a tone that sounded like they aren’t off the Duncan Robinson train just yet.