Going into the 2024-25 campaign, the Miami Heat’s Duncan Robinson was expected to have an impactful role. He was coming off a solid bounce-back season the year prior and seemed to have made strides in his all-around game. Instead, he took a step backward.

Robinson dealt with a lingering back injury during the end stretch of his strong 2023-24 season. Some progression in his development was first showcased in the Heat’s 2023 playoff run, where the sharpshooter started to become an effective slasher and finisher at the rim.

Additionally, his playmaking and handle made him look more versatile all of a sudden. But, it didn’t last.

The seventh-year veteran saw a slight dip in scoring, shooting percentage and minutes per game. Granted, his role has constantly fluctuated from starter to bench player in recent years, which may have caused the slight pause in his overall impact.

More importantly, though, back problems limited Robinson once again during this season’s final stretch.

Although it didn’t sideline him entirely like in the 2024 playoffs, the resurfaced back injury seemed to affect Robinson’s on-court production in Miami’s brief postseason appearance this year. He averaged just 4.3 points on 14 field goal attempts for the entire four-game series against the Cleveland Cavaliers. Clearly, he didn’t step up as a valuable rotation piece when his team desperately needed a spark.

It might be time to move off the Duncan Robinson contract.

The 31 year-old undrafted sharpshooter is the Heat’s franchise 3-point leader. And he has been an efficient 40% shooter from beyond the arc for his career.

Those marks still may not be enough to justify his price tag, as Robinson has been a one-dimensional player for most of his time with Miami. Robinson is going into the fifth and final year of a $90 million contract signed in 2021.

Luckily, Robinson’s contract offers Riley some flexibility. Of the $19.8 million Robinson is owed next season, only $9.8 million is guaranteed if its waived before June 29. If the Heat (or another team) waives Robinson before then, they could save $10 million.

That makes Robinson an interesting asset in a package to pursue a star on the trade market. His expiring contract gives other teams an opportunity to free up cap space, if that is something they would desire.

If he stays on the Heat going into this last year of his contract, he could play out the entirety of the deal and return on a much more team friendly price tag. Riley and the front office could also likely find more suitors for that expiring salary at next year’s trade deadline.

Robinson’s future role remains uncertain, especially if he stays on the roster after this offseason.