When Duncan Robinson re-signed with the Miami Heat back in the 2021 offseason, it was believed that he would be a big part of the team for many years.
Now, it seems like his days in Miami might be numbered. The Heat have reportedly made the 28-year-old sharpshooter available in trades, according to a recent report.
“With the emergence of Max Strus and Caleb Martin, Miami has made Duncan Robinson available in trade talks, league sources told HoopsHype,” wrote Michael Scotto.
It doesn’t come as much of a surprise to hear that the Heat are making Robinson available in talks. After all, his production has taken a devastating hit this season.
He’s averaging only 6.3 points in 17.6 minutes per game while connecting on just 35.4 percent of his shots from the field and 30.6 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc.
During the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, Robinson averaged 13.3 points per contest on 42.7 percent shooting from 3-point range. That production was a big reason why the team decided to reward him with a five-year, $90 million deal in the 2021 offseason.
However, he hasn’t lived up to that deal over the past two seasons. He was even replaced in the team’s starting lineup late last season by Strus. Strus and Martin have eaten into a lot of Robinson’s minutes this season.
If the University of Michigan product isn’t consistently hitting 3-point shots, then he doesn’t really provide much value to the team. While he has expanded his game a bit and tried to drive some more to the basket this season, it hasn’t really worked out all that much.
He also isn’t the best defender, so sometimes it’s hard to justify giving him many minutes if he’s not making his shots.
Robinson has been involved in trade rumors for some time now, and a team insider even stated recently that he believes the Heat are “showcasing” the wing for a potential trade.
It’s starting to seem like the Heat might end up dealing Robinson before the Feb. 9 trade deadline. Trading him away might be one of the only ways the Heat can upgrade their roster.
Miami has looked very poor to start this season and currently sports a 7-10 record, good enough for 11th in the Eastern Conference.
Many believed that the team’s huge win over the Phoenix Suns last week would give it the jump it needed to move over .500 on the season, but it has lost three straight games since then.
The Heat’s next game will come on Monday night against the Minnesota Timberwolves.