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With the news that the Miami Heat are bringing back Davion Mitchell on a $24 million contract, the question has arisen about what direction star Duncan Robinson and the team will take. As there have been rumors surrounding the Heat's pursuit of players in free agency, there has been a path a little clearer regarding Robinson, as reported by ESPN's Shams Charania.
The NBA insider would break the news that Robinson is not exercising his “$20 million early termination option,” meaning he will be a free agent and have the option to either work on a new deal with Miami or depart and go to another team.
“Miami Heat guard Duncan Robinson is declining his $20 million early termination option to become a free agent and will work with the franchise on a new deal to return, or a move elsewhere, sources tell ESPN,” Charania wrote.
“The decision allows Robinson to work on a longer-term deal with the Heat — or pursue free-agent contracts and sign-and-trades elsewhere starting Monday night,” Charania continued.
The decision allows Robinson to work on a longer-term deal with the Heat — or pursue free-agent contracts and sign-and-trades elsewhere starting Monday night. https://t.co/8kBf5PxttG
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) June 29, 2025
With the decision by Robinson, his contract is off the books for Miami, though there seems to be discussion that a new deal will be talked about, or a possible departure, according to Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel.
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“So Duncan Robinson now off Heat books completely by invoking his early-termination option,” Winderman wrote. “In light of bypassing $20M of which $10M was guaranteed, sounds like working toward a new Heat deal at a lower starting point than the $20M for 2025-26.”
Multiple avenues available for Heat's Duncan Robinson
With the Heat amid a critical offseason, Robinson's contract remained a question mark as the team is trying not to cross the luxury tax threshold. As Robinson has decided to become an unrestricted free agent, there still seems to be a chance that he comes back to Miami, though both sides would have to agree, according to Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
“While Robinson could begin talking about a new deal with other teams when free agency opens Monday at 6 p.m., returning to the Heat on a new contract also remains a possibility, according to a league source,” Chiang wrote. “One option for the Heat to bring back Robinson is a contract that would pay him the $9.9 million he would have been guaranteed for next season with an additional season of guaranteed money tacked on.”
Another option remains that Robinson could be dealt in a sign-and-trade with Miami, getting valuable assets in return, potentially. It remains to be seen what the future holds with the Heat and Robibnson, as he's been with the team since 2018.
