Other teams reportedly wanted the Miami Heat to attach a first-round pick to players like Kyle Lowry or Duncan Robinson, who have large contracts, at this season’s trade deadline.
The Heat opted not to trade either player and kept their picks as well.
“According to a source, other teams wanted Miami to attach a future first-round pick to any of those contracts, and the Heat declined,” the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson wrote.
Lowry, who is under contract for $29.7 million next season, is an important part of the team’s rotation, so it wouldn’t make sense to move an asset just to dump his deal. Lowry is also under contract for just one more season, which gives Miami some financial flexibility in the future.
Robinson’s contract is the harder one to justify, as the sharpshooter has largely fallen out of the rotation for the Heat since late last season.
The University of Michigan product shot 40.8 percent from beyond the arc in the 2020-21 season and started all 72 games he appeared in for the Heat. That earned him a huge contract extension in the offseason, a five-year deal worth $90 million.
Even though only $80 million of Robinson’s deal is guaranteed, the Heat are still committed to him through the 2025-26 season.
The Heat didn’t want to attach a first-round pick to Robinson, but they could use his salary to help match contracts in a bigger deal in the offseason.
“Players with salaries who could potentially be used to facilitate a trade this summer, if the Heat chooses and finds a market, include Kyle Lowry, who is due $29.7 million next season in the final year of his contract, and Duncan Robinson, who is due $18.2 million next season, $19.4 million in 2024-25, and $19.9 million in 2025-26,” Jackson wrote.
Miami currently holds the No. 7 seed in the East, so the team should be able to get into the playoffs in the 2022-23 season even though it didn’t make a major move at the trade deadline.
The team may find it easier to move off of Lowry’s deal, if it chooses to, in the offseason since he’d be on an expiring contract.
Pat Riley and the Heat’s front office have drafted well when given the opportunity, selecting Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo in recent drafts. Both players have gone on to get a second contract with the team.
They have also done a great job of finding players like Robinson, Max Strus and Gabe Vincent as undrafted free agents to come in and play critical roles for the team.
By holding onto its draft picks this season and not making a move at the deadline, the Heat have given themselves several avenues to improve the roster down the road.
