Duncan Robinson reacts to new deal, details how he ended up back with Heat in free agency

Duncan Robinson knew what he wanted from free agency.

“A perfect outcome for me was returning to Miami on a deal that we really felt comfortable with,” Robinson said during this week’s podcast episode of “The Long Shot with Duncan Robinson and Davis Reid.” “So in that regard, it was always going to be Miami first. Let’s try to make something with Miami work and then we’ll go from there.”

Robinson got what he wanted, agreeing to a five-year deal worth $90 million to return to the Heat early in free agency on Monday. The total value of the contract is the largest ever for an undrafted player.

“Honestly, I never really got to the point where I was stressed,” Robinson said on the podcast episode, which was released Thursday. “One, because I felt good about the situation from the jump. Maybe that was my naivete. ... Or two, maybe it was that I just had a certain level of confidence that there was a mutual respect between Miami and myself and that we could make something work.”

Robinson, a restricted free agent, was in a car with his father and girlfriend on his way home from the airport when free agent negotiations were allowed to begin Monday at 6 p.m.

That’s when a member of the Heat’s front office texted Robinson the log-in information for an Instagram account that the organization had created for him to pitch him on a return.

“They had basically created an Instagram account for me and it had all these pictures posted on the profile that were kind of about my time in Miami and that they would love to have me back and all this sort of stuff,” Robinson said. “That was a cool moment.”

Shortly after, Heat coach Erik Spoelstra put in a FaceTime call to Robinson before the new contract was eventually agreed to.

“There was a funny moment with that, too,” Robinson said of his conversation with Spoelstra. “He was like, ‘So what are you doing tonight to celebrate?’ I’m just like, ‘Oh, we’re going to pick up some food and just kind of hang and eat.’ And he’s like, ‘Well, do me a favor, mix in an ice cream or get a bottle of wine or something.’”

Robinson, a 6-7 forward, has quickly earned the reputation as one of the NBA’s top shooters after spending most of his rookie season in the G League. In the past two regular seasons combined, only Sacramento’s Buddy Hield (553) and Portland’s Damian Lillard (545) have totaled more made three-pointers than Robinson (520).

Robinson, 27, was the only Heat player to appear in all 72 games this past regular season. He closed the regular season with the fourth-most made threes in the NBA at 250 behind Lillard (275), Hield (282) and Golden State’s Stephen Curry (337), and shot 40.8 percent on 8.5 three-point attempts per game.

This comes after Robinson set a Heat record for threes made (270) in a single season in 2019-20, while also joining Curry as the only players in league history to finish a season with 270 or more made threes while shooting better than 44 percent from deep.

“That’s why Miami ultimately, for me, felt like it was going to be the best situation because it was something that I was really familiar with. I felt like I built equity with the organization, the coaching staff, the front office, the fans even, the city, something I was familiar with,” Robinson said. “And the opportunity, we’re able to get somebody like Kyle [Lowry] and have that opportunity to be part of a really good team and be really valued. So once push came to shove and 6 p.m. came around on Monday and things started to move really quickly, which is it’s own whole thing, it became clear pretty quickly that Miami was the right situation.”

So far in free agency, the Heat has added Lowry, P.J. Tucker and Markieff Morris, and retained Robinson, Dewayne Dedmon, Victor Oladipo, Max Strus and Gabe Vincent.

The Heat’s roster for next season now stands at 12 players on standard deals: Jimmy Butler, Lowry, Bam Adebayo, Robinson, Tucker, Tyler Herro, KZ Okpala, Morris, Dedmon, Oladipo, Strus and Vincent. NBA teams are allowed to have a roster featuring up to 15 players on standard contracts and two players on two-way contracts in the regular season, and can carry up to 20 players during the offseason and preseason.

There are three players from the Heat’s season-ending roster who remain free agents: Udonis Haslem, Andre Iguodala and Omer Yurtseven. The expectation is that Haslem also again will return at the veteran minimum.

“That was a huge part of it for me. I really wanted to feel valued,” Robinson said of receiving a five-year commitment from the Heat. “For me, I feel like I’m able to be my best when I’m surrounded by really good players because I can create space for them and they can also create space and attention for me. ... I love the group that we have. We’ll see how the rest of free agency plays out. But from where it stands now, I think we added some physicality, some toughness, some play-making, some shot-making and just like a certain grit and toughness. I think for sure we’re going to be playing, as Pat Riley likes to coin it, Miami Heat basketball.”

Robinson first signed with the Heat as an undrafted prospect out of Michigan in 2018. Now he’s an important part of the team’s core, and could sign his new $90 million contract as early as Friday afternoon.

“There’s also this weird feeling that it doesn’t quite hit you,” Robinson said. “Truth be told, it hasn’t quite hit me. I’m still wondering as to when it will because as of right now, my life really hasn’t changed at all other than people like now know how much money I’m going to make very publicly.”