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.
