Nearly two months into the NBA season, the Miami Heat are one of the most popular teams appearing in trade rumors. Most notably, the rumors of them potentially trading Jimmy Butler have heated up. Furthermore, ESPN’s Bobby Marks also recently named Duncan Robinson as a realistic trade candidate for Miami this season.
“If there isn’t mutual interest in re-signing Jimmy Butler to a more team-friendly deal, what can the Heat get for Butler, who can walk away from any team that acquires him? Another veteran to watch in Miami is sharpshooter Duncan Robinson. Has he shown enough value in the starting lineup to justify him staying on the roster? Robinson has a partially guaranteed contract next season.”
Marks also notes the Heat’s financial situation. Trading Robinson would provide the team with some financial flexibility.
“The Heat are $11.9 million over the luxury tax and projected to pay a $20.7 million penalty. Miami is a first-apron team and cannot use more than 100% of its traded player exception. Miami is also not allowed to sign a player waived who had a pre-existing salary of $12.8 million or more. The Heat are $3.7 million below the second apron and are not allowed to aggregate contracts sent out if the post-trade salary leaves them over the second apron.”
Robinson is in the fourth year of his five-year, $90 million contract. However, he has an Early Termination Option for the 2025-26 season.
NBA Insider Names Miami Heat Veteran a Trade Candidate
The Miami Heat Are Likely to Make a Trade This Season
Based on the reports that have surfaced so far, it seems likely that the Heat will make a trade. More specifically, it appears likely that the Heat will move on from Butler at some point this season. Recently, ESPN’s Shams Charania named the Phoenix Suns and Golden State Warriors as Butler’s preferred trade destinations.
“So the talks are, I’m told, the Heat remain open to hearing interested suitors in Jimmy Butler. There’s not an urgency that they’re operating under. When you look at his salary, $49 million this year, he’s got a $52 million player option for next year. The market that we’re going to see come this offseason, there’s one team with significant cap space, and that’s going to be the Brooklyn Nets. $60 million+, and as of right now, on the trade market, the Nets are not believed to be a suitor, and they might not make sense for him come offseason either, because clearly they’re more of a rebuilding, re-tooling situation, and he’s going to be a 36-year-old win-now star, and that’s why I’m told the Suns and the Warriors are believed to be atop his list of preferred win-now destinations if the Miami Heat were to trade him. The Rockets and Mavericks being the others.
If not Butler, it seems that trading Robinson is a realistic possibility as well.
The Last Word On Duncan Robinson
So far this season, Robinson is averaging 11.1 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. Additionally, he is shooting 42.2% from the field and 38.5% from beyond the arc. The 30-year-old is a solid basketball player and a legitimate perimeter threat. However, trading him could be a good move for Miami if they get enough value in return.
The Heat currently possess a 13-11 record and own the No. 6 seed in the East. After getting eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the first round of last season’s playoffs, the Heat are aiming to bounce back and return to the postseason. A trade is possible. However, the Heat are far from desperate to make a big deal at this point.
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