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Duncan Robinson exercises $19.9 million early termination option, becomes free agent

Duncan Robinson Heat
Miami Heat guard Duncan Robinson had until Sunday at 5 p.m. EST to exercise his ETO. (Mandatory Credit: Justin Casterline/Getty Images)

Duncan Robinson has exercised his $19.9 million early termination option and has become an unrestricted free agent, ESPN NBA insider Shams Charania reported Sunday.

Robinson had until Sunday until 5 p.m. EST to either exercise his option or remain with the team, where only $9.9 million of his contract was guaranteed through June 29.

Early termination options are only allowed to be given to players on five-year contracts without the ability to exercise them until the fifth season.

Robinson, 31, could still return to the Heat, but that would further erode cap space heading into the 2026 offseason. After the Heat re-signed Davion Mitchell to a two-year, $24 million deal, the Heat were projected to have up to roughly $40 million available in cap space.

By exercising his ETO, the Heat also have ducked under the luxury tax and not only can have more flexibility to do sign-and-trades, but use their full mid-level exception, worth roughly $14 million.

Robinson is widely regarded as the best shooter in Heat history, but has dealt with back injuries at the tail-end of two consecutive seasons. Last year, he averaged 11.0 points on 43.7 percent shooting and 39.3 percent from 3-point range on 6.5 triple tries per game.

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heatforlife

according to nba tv the only team besides gsw that can sign kuminga is brooklyn.so i guess we can trade for him but gsw not gonna give him up for what we have

SunManFromDogBone

Oh well.

heatforlife

demars only guy out there who moves needle sun

SunManFromDogBone

Herro, DeRozan, Wiggins, Bam and Ware
Mitchell, Larsson, Jaquez, Jovic, Johnson
Jakucionis, Rozier, Highsmith, Anderson, Love

*Rozier, Highsmith, Anderson, Love = $45.6M (2026 expiring contracts)

heatforlife

wheres hhh4l hes a good poster when hes not trashing people.which is not cool brings up lots good points which are usually negative but the truth.theres nothing positive about this team.bam our best player is a #3 option.need 2 better players than bam to compete for rings.u can free up cap space in gap years but guys are going to go to ready made teams to get jewelry for the most part.im scared for the heats future we could be looking at some very lean years.we had a great run but sports is cyclical

SunManFromDogBone

Hang loose until the fat lady sings. Its only June. You don’t need to fill in for him.

heatforlife

im worried about this org sun .great great run we had we might be back to billy cunningham louis schafel days.look at the teams out west compared to the heat ouch

SunManFromDogBone

Look at it another way. In the past 3 years we’ve added Jaquez, Ware, Larsson, Jakucionis, Johnson and Jovic (all on rookie contracts).

The Heat now has only 4 players 30 years old or older (Wiggins, Rozier, Anderson and Love). Three of them plus Highsmith are on expiring contracts and Wiggins may be traded for a younger player. That would leave 0 players 30+ years old. The team is getting younger right before our very eyes. In addition, Miami has slots for three under 30 two-way players in G League.

After the preceding players are traded or their contracts expire and decisions are made about players on rookie contracts (e.g., Jaquez, Larsson, Johnson) the Heat may have even more spots and money available.

Reality Czech

As 2qbn would say, Testify!

heatforlife

u are the lebron james of hhh.hes a heat hater but does spit out lots truth

Hothothoopsfan4life

Nothing to say besides I’m more of a sit back and peep the way things are said and been going a lot of lies from Pat, but nobody has said anything here about how him and bam said things are going to change and bam changes should happen drafting a player and signing players already on the roster hardly counts. Now everybody keeps saying the same bs about a gap year when the only “whale” is Luka who (I’ve already said) isn’t leaving sunny California to come to Mia……especially if this is LeBrons last hoorah as some sites have made mention of. Other 26’ Fa have already signed with their teams (Randle Portis to name a few). Also said Mia overvalues its players (Niko Tyler jjj) etc etc. some here also want DeRozan who doesn’t move the needle and hasn’t moved it since he left Toronto, do like Murray from sac if Mia were to trade with them and I do kuminga for Mia which that’s who they should’ve gotten for the quitter in the first place but Pat especially without wade around hasn’t done jack squat to make this team better. Bad trades bad contracts giving out bad draft picks lack of assets is why this team is heading in the wrong direction

Last edited 15 days ago by Hothothoopsfan4life
oregoner

does this mean the Heat have cap space this offseason?

Reality Czech

Not yet. Still have work to do to unload some salaries and formulate trades.

SunManFromDogBone

As of today, June 29, 2025, the Miami Heat’s cap space is estimated to be roughly -$38.76 million, meaning they are over the salary cap. They are also projected to be about $11.6 million below the luxury tax threshold of $187.9 million for the 2025-26 season. This is significant because they were in the luxury tax this season and likely want to avoid the repeater tax penalties.

Exceptions Available: The Heat still have access to certain exceptions, including trade exceptions totaling over $21 million.

Last edited 15 days ago by SunManFromDogBone
Alaska Emily

It’s a good opportunity for Duncan to kick the tires around the league. He’s got a valued skillset, and he can get a good gauge of how valued it is. He’s a level head in the locker room, and aside from that one year when he regressed (distracted by podcasting?) he’s never had any real drama around him. Even when there was a lot of drama going on for people around him.

I think when he signed his big contract he was being over-valued, at a time when pure shooters were thought to be the future of the league. But I also think that right now he’s under-valued. He’s not just a pure shooter anymore, and has more in his offensive game. He is a competent defender, even if he’ll never be more than just competent. He can lead a second unit, and has done a lot of good work getting rookies and sophomores up to speed on the court.

I hope he ends up back in Miami, however things shake down. But he’d be an asset on any team. Except for the Suns, who don’t seem to have any clue what they are doing.

2qbn

By the quality of this post, I know for a fact you had cornrows while posting.

Bout30man

Good comments. I wonder if he already has a deal with the Heat? Is it not a bit of a risk to opt out?

Alaska Emily

To me there are two major possibilities: either Duncan and the Miami FO are on the same page, and he’s about to sign a multi-year deal that gets him less money per year, but more money overall, OR there’s a real disconnect and the FO made it clear that they’re going to waive him to save the $10m, so he’d better find another contract elsewhere.

My instincts are on the former, but we won’t know until the second shoe drops.

SunManFromDogBone

The third possibility is he needs a change of scenery and thinks there are teams that will pay him and appreciate him more than Miami did towards the end of the year. Burkes can fill his role for far less money.

Alaska Emily

Imagine saying “I just bought a coffee table for the living room, so I don’t need my kitchen table anymore. The coffee table does the same job for less money.”

They’re different players who serve different purposes, even if they look kinda similar on paper when you squint. We need both, realistically. They both add value to the team.

And, at least for the moment, the two cost exactly the same.

Last edited 15 days ago by Alaska Emily
Reality Czech

One can also imagine saying “my kitchen table that I’ve had for a number of years is starting to crack and I found another one in better shape at the thrift store for a reduced price “.
Now, if Duncan was willing to accept the same deal as Burkes, that would be great.

SunManFromDogBone

If you had a slot for only one, who would you prefer…Duncan 3yrs/$30M or Burkes 3yrs/$12M?

Reality Czech

Respectfully, I don’t see him as competent defensively at all. Herro is below average defensively. Duncan is worse.

SunManFromDogBone

Burkes is slightly better defensively and slightly worse offensively. But he is a lot cheaper.

Reality Czech

Yes, that’s how I feel. Can be signed for about $3 million as opposed to $10 million. The Heat need to be prudent. Plus, Duncan would want a multi year deal while Burkes would be happy with a 1 year deal.

SunManFromDogBone

For the 2025-2026 NBA season, the veteran minimum salary for players with 10+ years of experience will be $3,634,153. Since Burkes outperformed his contract last season and likes and wants to return to Miami, $4M a year sounds fair both ways. He can retire in Miami and the Heat can have a sharpshooter they can bring off the bench if/when needed. The savings can be used elsewhere or to get under the first apron.

heatforlife

slightly better much better defensively .offensively wash.if dunc played good d hed be an asset but hes terrible on d not bad terrible

heatforlife

competent defender u lose your cred alaska,.do u understand defense wins chips.and dunc is one of the worse defenders ive ever seen in my 50 plus years of watching hoops.obviously u dont get it

SunManFromDogBone

There are several RFAs and UFAs Miami can consider using Robinson’s salary savings to sign this summer.

There are also players that may be available if Miami wants to trade one or more players and absorb more salary while staying under the cap.

Otherwise, Miami is still in a very good position to use 2025-2026 as a gap year. Next summer, the Heat will be in an excellent position, with the salary savings from expired contracts, to pursue a ss. This is especially true if Riley decides not to give Herro a 3 year/$150M extension and trade him instead.

Big_guy305

I think should use some of his money to get a decent pf/c, and take a shot at a 2 way player like Lonnie walker for the vet minimum, whose still only 26.

SunManFromDogBone

Miami had 13 players on payroll, excluding Mitchell and Burkes (expired contracts). They then drafted Jakucionis and re-signed Mitchell.

With Robinson now opting out, the team only has one vacancy. Miami may be trying to negotiate a new contract with Robinson. They may also be considering re-signing Burks.

Meanwhile, here’s a few names of centers and power forwards to chomp on (UFAs and RFAs).Turner, Lopez, Capella, Mo Wagner, Jaylin Williams, Aldama, Yabusele, Boucher, Nance, Santos, Bol, Kuminga and Achiuwa. Two other possible options are Kuminga and Keshad Johnson.

Big_guy305

Those are a lot of good options tbh, well scrap that Lonnie walker idea, since we only got space for 1. I hope we can buyout love, and bring back keshad. Also if we don’t get kuminga, we should definitely get a big from that list. I would welcome burks back with open arms.

SunManFromDogBone

They opted in on Keshad. He’s got another year to prove himself, if Spo gives him playing time. He’s the real diamond in the rough in my opinion. He can play SF or PF.

heatforlife

diamond in the rough whos played about no minutes of nba ball.plenty guys look the part but arent.theres alot of bros with great nba builds who arent good.of course with spobot he wasnt given a shot last year.

SunManFromDogBone

It would be a very big mistake not to give Johnson playing time to develop skill and confidence. He has more potential than most of the younger players on the team. I guarantee you if the Heat “screw the pooch” and he becomes a free agent next year and goes elsewhere, Miami will regret it! At minimum, I think he can be a solid rotation player as a SF or PF. He could play SF with Ware C and Bam at PF or he can be used as a PF in a small ball line-up with Bam at C.

heatforlife

maybe butler can put in a good word about herro.kumingas #1 viable target out there.demar #2.all other viable options dont move needle to much

heatforlife

lonnies from the u my school but u need better players than him.hes better than dunc but if u want to play with the big boys gotta get demars kumingas of the world get rid of all the one wayers which is half the fn team

Big_guy305

Yes Ik he’s from the u, and sure you need better players, but you also need bench depth, like okc, and pacers. You can get a demar or kuminga, but it won’t make that much of difference cuz the nba evolves each year, and you need more young, athletic, 2 way talent. He’s 26, so he can still get better and can be had for the vet minimum to round out the bench. Additionally if you paid more attention earlier, I scraped that idea, after Sunman said we got only 1 roster spot left for now. So I would rather use it one pf/c of his list.

SunManFromDogBone

Rumor is that Milwaukee is interested in Wiggins. Bobby Portis would be part of any trade. If Miami brings in Portis and DeRozan, and trades Wiggins, Rozier and Jaquez, that would be an upgrade. Portis would make an excellent rotation player with Bam and Ware. DeRozan would be good the next two years while possible long term SFs (Jovic, Jaquez and Johnson) are being developed.

Miami may still trade Herro rather than pay him $150M. Possible targets: Dejounte Murray, Coby Smith and Jaden Ivey.

Big_guy305

I like all those ideas, let’s see what the future beholds…

2qbn

Sexton to Hornets, so there goes that trade. lol

SunManFromDogBone

Good. Dude can’t play a lick of defense. Makes Uncan look like Dort or Amen Thompson.

heatforlife

how much sexton bball have u watched.hes 6 3 athletic why is he so bad.

SunManFromDogBone

He’s a good offensive player, However, per Google/AI, “despite some improvement, some sources suggest that Sexton has never posted a positive defensive box plus/minus in his career. This statistic attempts to measure a player’s overall impact on the team’s defensive performance.”

heatforlife

youd have to watch him to see his defense with all switches pick n rolls its hard to judge with #s.u research on internet again watch him play sun on the tube and come back to me with how bad he is defensively.ive watch ty and dunc for about 5 years.he cant be worse than ty.

SunManFromDogBone

If Miami is going to go after PGs and SGs, I would like to see 2-way players. The Heat should give the younger players a chance to show if they can develop into better than average/good defensive players.

2qbn

I wasn’t really for or against it. I was noting another recent rumor down the drain. 🙂

Iknowtoomuch

Depending on the actual severity of his back surgeries…they usually limit the range of motion effecting almost every type of upper & lower body movement. Quite possibly his back will never be the same making playing at a NBA level especially challenging. He had one helleva run!

2qbn

This is an excellent point.

SunManFromDogBone

His opting out was a blessing. He’s not worth the risk. Time for Heat to move on.

Sharkey

Can he get more than 10 million some place else?

Reality Czech

I don’t know. Maybe $10-12 million is possible for a team that lacks 3 point shooting.

SunManFromDogBone

Detroit, Brooklyn, Philly, there’s a few.

Reality Czech

Please Heat, do not resign him, especially at $10 million a year. That money can be put to better use elsewhere. The Heat gave him an opportunity. He made a lot of money, broke Steph’s 3 point records at every junction, and fell in love while here in Miami. It’s time to move on. I wish him success in the future and want hfl to find his joy again.

Last edited 16 days ago by Reality Czech
Big_guy305

Yes, thanks for all the good times dunc yard dog or cornrows Duncan, you had good work ethic, and improved a lot while being here. I hope pat Riley and arison leaves him be, it’s time to move on like you said. Plenty of teams need shooting, so he will find a new team eventually, just hope he doesn’t resign with us. Next order of business is getting rid of rozier contract, if possible.

Reality Czech

Correct

heatforlife

im hearing beal for dunc n terry what u think

Reality Czech

I would do that in a heartbeat, but now it would have to be a sign and trade since, technically, Duncan is no longer under contract with us.

Last edited 16 days ago by Reality Czech
Big_guy305

Sure, I would do that, give us your trash, and you take our trash lol, but like Czech said it would have to be sign and trade. Also I think suns will hold on to him anyways for 1 more season at least, so that he gets some of his value back, while being an expiring contract, and then trade him.

Last edited 15 days ago by Big_guy305
Reality Czech

Kings. I know you knew that though.

Big_guy305

Yes, or spurs, and Orlando,etc

heatforlife

beal 17 pts 50 39 trash?

Big_guy305

His contract is trash, but he’s a better player then dunc, and rozier. He would improve the bench though.

SunManFromDogBone

2 years/$110.8M for a bench player? I don’t think so. If Heat wouldn’t give it to Quitter before he quit, why would they give it to Beal?

2qbn

It would hose us next offseason, plus his no trade clause follows him.

Last edited 15 days ago by 2qbn
SunManFromDogBone

Suicidal.

Big_guy305

I say bench because he probably wouldn’t start, unless spo runs him at sg, with herro at pg. But we don’t need him.

SunManFromDogBone

I think Miami should quit while it is ahead. Beal is Suns’ albatross. It shouldn’t become Miami’s. There are younger and better players Miami can trade for for far less cost. Plus Dunc is a free agent.

heatforlife

hes not the wash wizards beal but id take him over herro.he’d be our second best player

2qbn

I hate to inform you there are zero stats to back up this claim. The last 2 years of Brad Beal show he is in serious decline. Check it.

Reality Czech

Herro Hater has spoken. No surprise there.

heatforlife

when ty has his legs hes a very good offensive player.but again as the season wears on he either gets hurt or wears down and his game goes to sht.he was even playing ok defense for his standards first half of season but got worn down .his best role is 6th man 15-18 mins a game.keep him fresh the whole year.he just doesnt have nba body to run and bump for 82games

SunManFromDogBone

Herro and Beal are deck chairs on the Titanic. Neither should be part of Miami’s future if there are better 2 way players available for less money.

heat for life

hes a very flawed player.not a winner .one on one me type player.trae james ball come to mind

heat for life

if ty played with kd and book what would he average,put beal on our no offense team see what he can do.we need to change this stale team.this roster is played out(old 70s expression)

SunManFromDogBone

Plus their defense would suck.

SunManFromDogBone

For $25M more?

Reality Czech

YIKES!!!! I erred! Somehow I read DeRozan!! No way would I take Beal’s contract.
Sorry anout misreading that. Beal and his contract? NO THANKS!

SunManFromDogBone

DeRozan yes, especially if can get rid of Rozier.

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