Boston Celtics: Boston.com, NBC Sports both tab Duncan Robinson TPE option

The Boston Celtics have been linked several times in the past several days to Miami Heat sharpshooter Duncan Robinson as a potential target for the traded player exception created by the Evan Fournier sign-and-trade to the New York Knicks last summer. That TPE expires June 30th if a player isn’t absorbed into it by that point.

Robinson was an integral element of the Heat’s 2020 NBA Finals run down in the Lake Buena Vista bubble during some of the darkest days of the COVID-19 lockdowns. The undrafted free agent peaked during the pandemic-stricken 2019-20 season, shooting 44.6% from the 3-point line in over eight attempts per game.

In the two seasons since Robinson has seen his role diminish in South Beach. Robinson didn’t start a single postseason contest and somehow got six minutes of playing time in Game 2 of Miami’s Eastern Conference quarterfinals series against the Atlanta Hawks even after shooting 8/9 from beyond the arc in a historic Heat postseason shooting performance. He didn’t even play in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics.

It’s clear that the partnership between Robinson and the Heat organization has deteriorated in the years since that 2020 NBA Finals run, with Erik Spoelstra finding more versatile lineup options in Gabe Vincent and Max Strus — who both offer the spacing benefits Robinson does.

It’s no wonder then that in Boston.com’s latest list of Fournier TPE options, the six-foot-seven York, Maine product is present. Conor Roche used his long-term deal and obsolete status in Miami as his primary reasons why the Cs should pursue Robinson:

"“A career 40.6 percent 3-point shooter, Robinson’s considered one of the best deep shooters in the league. But he struggled for much of the past season, losing his spot in the starting lineup. As Robinson spent much of the Eastern Conference finals against the Celtics on the bench, the Heat could be willing to rid themselves of Robinson’s contract as he heads into the second year of a five-year, $90 million deal.”"

Multiple outlets have linked Duncan Robinson to the Boston Celtics

In addition to Boston.com, NBC Sports Boston also listed Robinson on a list of potential TPE targets with his $16.9 million pact just fitting into the largest TPE Boston Celtics President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens has at his disposal.

Robinson makes sense as a ‘Jays’ complement that, ideally, would make those brazen enough to double-team Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown pay. As NBCSN noted, Robinson has tied to Cs assistant coach Will Hardy, who also attended Division III Williams College in Massachusetts.

If Stevens could bring Robinson back to the New England area for a future draft pick, both the team and the player would be in a better place than they are right now. That’s especially true for Robinson, who has been reduced to a Heat reserve at this point.