Among the reasons Miami Heat guard Duncan Robinson said he started a podcast was because, “traditional kind of social media felt, for me personally, and maybe it’s not this way for everybody, a little always kind of disingenuous.”
And yet, because he also is aware of the power of social media, Robinson paused during his most recent edition of The Long Shot podcast to make two things clear:
— He has not made a decision to leave the Miami Heat in free agency.
— And he also has not made a decision on whether he will stay.
But what he did offer, with a smile, is that those who listen to his podcast as the Aug. 2 start of NBA free agency approaches, “Could be Woj. You could be breaking news if you’re listening to The Long Shot podcast.”
For now, there are no pronouncements about Robinson’s future coming immediately from either the Heat 3-point ace or from ace ESPN NBA news breaker Adrian Wojnarowski.
But because rumor season is in full swing, Robinson made a point on his podcast that dropped Friday to assure that there are no tea leaves to be read at the moment, even when co-host Davis Reid, his longtime friend, joked about Robinson possibly removing a piece of Heat memorability from his den.
“I want to get out in front of Davis somehow alluding to me maybe not being in Miami moving forward,” Robinson chimed in. “That’s not at all what that was. There’s been a lot of speculation, confusion.”
Robinson then explained his consternation.
“Somebody on our social media posted that — quote, unquote — we’re back, basically,” he said. “And there were a lot of people in the comments somehow putting together that that meant that I was coming back to Miami. Which, for the record, I would love to do.
“But we’re also just not in the time frame where that type of news gets broken. We’re about a month and a half removed.”
Robinson’s situation is particularly complex because the Heat have the right to make him a restricted free agent by extending a $4.7 million qualifying offer by Aug. 2. That, in turn, would allow the Heat to match any outside offer. But the Heat also could bypass the qualifying offer to maximize their cap space and then cycle back to Robinson with an understanding that he would return.
After earning $1.7 million this past season, Robinson, 27, is projected to receive a new contract that starts in the $15 million annual range.
Whether those checks will come from the Heat or elsewhere, possibly even as part of a sign-and-trade transaction with another team, make it a particularly intriguing offseason.
“So, basically what I’m saying is, there will be no free-agency Easter eggs dropped in the podcast,” he said, before dropping somewhat of a breadcrumb. “With that being said, are there plans to have maybe some sort of an announcement included in the podcasts? Now that’s a different story.
“So make sure you like and subscribe for future episodes,” he said, before making his Wojnarowski reference.
The description of Robinson’s podcast, one that is part of the company founded by longtime NBA guard JJ Redick, reads, “Celebrating success that is unexpected as well as highlighting sports and human-interest stories are both at the foundation of The Long Shot. Told through the lens of NBA player Duncan Robinson and his co-host Davis Reid, the program will provide an inside look into the NBA season while showcasing stories of those that have overcome the odds and achieved success.”
But Robinson acknowledged that it would be duplicitous not to acknowledge the clock that is ticking on his free agency.
“We’re not dodging or avoiding anything,” he said. “We’re going to talk at length about the season, about the Miami Heat, about our first-round playoff matchup, as well as more details about the summer in the next weeks.”
Because there will be more podcasting.
“It’s allowed me to challenge myself in a different venue,” he said after the Heat were swept out of the first round of the playoffs by the Milwaukee Bucks, “and just kind of have something off the court that’s occupied not such much my time, because not all that much time really goes into it, truthfully, maybe an hour or two or a week, but mostly just kind of like my mind, trying to enjoy it.
“We’ll run through the offseason, do some different content stuff. And we’ll see from there.”
