With all the massive money tossed around by the Miami Heat over the past 10 months, it is somewhat remarkable that a $90 million contract seemingly flew under the radar.
Jimmy Butler’s four-year, $184 million extension? Well, you are talking five-time All-Star.
Bam Adebayo’s five-year, $163 million extension? At 24, already an All-Star and Olympic gold medalist.
Kyle Lowry’s three-year, $85 million contract? Six-time All-Star, former NBA champion. Asked and answered.
And then there is Duncan Robinson’s five-year, $90 million contract, one that well could run the course of the deal without an All-Star appearance.
It is a contract that tops out at over $19 million in 2025-26. Only twice did Dwyane Wade earn more over his 17 seasons, never in his first 12 years, a Heat run that included three championships.
And, yet, it’s not as if the Heat are setting the bar at greatness. Instead, as one member of the organization put it, it is the going rate for solid starter, one with a unique skill set.
Still, for all the consternation in some quarters about the Heat’s apparent preference to remain below the luxury tax this season, because of Robinson’s salaries the Heat almost assuredly will be forced to pay well into the tax during his contract.
In 2023-24, for example, Butler will be earning $43.7 million, Adebayo $32.6 million, Lowry $29.7 million, Robinson $18.2 million. That also would be the first season on a rookie-scale extension for Tyler Herro, with the Heat having until next offseason for such a decision. And that’s not even getting into the possibility of Victor Oladipo reverting to the salary stratosphere next summer with this Heat Bird Rights.
If there is not ultimate value on the contracts of Butler, Adebayo and Lowry, then it all goes south, anyway.
But the swing vote with the Heat’s salary structure, at least at the moment, comes down to Robinson.
He will be a starter. But can he be a closer?
Among the interested bystanders is Dennis Scott, the former NBA 3-point ace who now serves as a commentator for Turner Sports and NBA TV.
While Scott has plenty of insight on the longball, as well as a “3-D” nickname that is more a play on his first name rather than defensive acumen, the salary structure for shooting specialists is a whole new ball game. Over a 12-year career that ended in 2001 and included some of the best of times for the Orlando Magic, Scott never earned more than $3.2 million in a season. His $25 million in career earnings equate to less than two seasons on Robinson’s new contract.
And yet there is respect for Robinson’s contract, as one that has been earned.
Like many, Scott initially was skeptical of Robinson as a one-trick wonder.
“He certainly was a revelation of a guy that can really shoot the basketball,” he said during a recent interview. “And that’s not for everybody. Duncan can flat out shoot the basketball.”
But Scott said the timing of Robinson’s free agency this offseason allowed for requisite inspection by the Heat for something more, that this wasn’t merely Jason Kapono 2.0.
“I think Pat Riley and Erik Spoelstra tested his toughness,” Scott said. “And you know the Miami culture, if you’re not tough, you’re not going to stay on the court long. And I think that’s what he’s shown us now in the NBA.
“He will fight over screens. He will get that long rebound that guards are supposed to get. Those other names, they kind of shied away from that.”
Scott said an NBA given is there are no free passes for teammates from Butler. But he said the same is true of Lowry. He said that will require ongoing toughness from Robinson.
“He’s gained the respect from Jimmy. And now Kyle will see how tough he is,” Scott said. “And as long as he continues to show that toughness on the defensive end, they’ll give him the freedom on the offensive end to shoot the basketball. That’s what they need.”
On the minimum scale, Duncan Robinson was a Heat luxury. On a $90 million contract, he shifts to critical component.
IN THE LANE
LINE IN SAND: Just as the Heat have drawn their offseason line at the luxury-tax threshold, likely to go with a 14-player standard roster at the start of the season, one below the maximum, the Milwaukee Bucks have been candid about their desire to limit tax liability, even coming off a championship. That meant losing P.J. Tucker to the Heat in free agency. “I think we’re very focused on that,” Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry told The Athletic. “Look, we’re a small-market team. It’s expensive. I mean, for us, this year we’re going to lose quite a bit of money.” Lasry said “It’s us and Brooklyn in the East. I mean, I’m trying to be unbiased but I think we’re probably the two best teams.” But, of the Heat, he added, “They’re tough. I mean, look, I love Kyle Lowry. I mean I think he is — he’s a great player. He’s just tough. I mean, Jimmy Butler. All the guys they’ve got, they’re really good. It’s going to be tough. And PJ — PJ’s the best. I mean, he just plays super hard all the time.”
REASON WHY: Lowry made an appearance on the podcast of Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum this past week, telling the newly elected president of the players’ union that the opportunity to jump to the Heat was too tempting to bypass in free agency. “For me, it’s only championships or bust,” Lowry said. “Going to Miami, that was a situation where I feel like this is what they want to do. I have a close friend, Jimmy Butler, there and I feel like Miami, that’s what they want to do. It’s about winning championships.” Lowry added, “If you aren’t playing for championships, what are you playing for? And that’s the only thought process that went into my free agency, is where do I go to become a champion?”
LATEST CHANCE: Even with this his first season with the Boston Celtics, this will be somewhat of a reunion tour for former Heat guard Josh Richardson, with new Celtics coach Ime Udoka having served as a Philadelphia 76ers assistant when Richardson was there in 2019-20. “A guy I worked with in Philadelphia and a guy I saw of ton of in Miami,” Udoka said. “Defensive mindset, versatile defender, a guy that can play on and off the ball. He’s done that some in Miami and he’s played some point guard. So he is a guy who can do a lot of things.” Richardson is coming off an uneven lone season with the Dallas Mavericks. “Didn’t shoot it that well last year, but we’ll get him back to that,” Udoka said, with Richardson twice caught up in COVID protocols last season. “He’s a better shooter than he showed in Dallas. But Josh is another guy you can plug into a lot of different areas, small or big or your point guard. Defensively, he can guard all of those positions.”
STILL GOING: Arguably the least-known player from the Heat’s 2006 championship team, former forward Wayne Simien is maintaining his ties to the game by returning to the University of Kansas to serve as associate athletics director for engagement and outreach. In that role, according to the school, Simien will focus on “leadership and professional development opportunities for student-athletes, coaches, and staff.” Simien last played professionally when he spent the 2008-09 season in Spain, working since in Christian ministry.
NUMBER
2. Open tryouts to be held by the Heat for their G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce. The first will be held Sept 18 in South Dakota, the second Sept. 25 in Miami. Details are available at siouxfalls.gleague.nba.com.
