Heat Rumors: Duncan Robinson Could Fetch $15-20M Annually on Next Contract

Miami Heat forward Duncan Robinson is entering restricted free agency this offseason, and he is expected to get a significant upgrade from his current three-year, $3 million deal.

According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, NBA officials think Robinson will ink a contract that will pay him "anywhere between $15 million and $20 million annually." 

The Heat can make him a qualifying offer worth $4.7 million next season, so that will be the only value he adds against the team's cap space, no matter what his salary is, per Jackson. 

That number could drop even lower should the Heat elect to make Robinson an unrestricted free agency, according to ESPN's Bobby Marks. Doing so would take $3 million off of his cap hit, and either option would work as "a required placeholder" rather than a cemented salary component (h/t Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel). 

Regardless, Miami is willing to shell out to keep him around (h/t Jackson): 

"Because he is elite at a skill that’s an enormous commodity (shooting) and has all the intangibles that the Heat values in players, the sense is Miami would be willing to pay the going rate for elite shooters when he becomes a restricted free agent this summer."

In his third year in the league, the Michigan product has solidified his place in the starting lineup for the defending Eastern Conference champions, a year after starting 68 of his 73 appearances. Through 16 starts this season, the 26-year-old is averaging 14.3 points on 44.7 percent shooting from the field with 3.9 rebounds in a career-high 34.1 minutes per game.

In 2019-20, he tallied 13.5 points per game on 47 percent shooting.

The Heat's payroll is already loaded due to max deals for Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo, so any thoughts of a major commitment to Robinson may have to factor in to any other moves the Heat make ahead of the March 25 NBA trade deadline.