How This Trade Impacts Miami Heat
The Miami Heat’s rotation changed at the end of the season, as Duncan Robinson was removed from the starting five in favor of Max Strus. It was a move that worked, as the Heat rattled off a few wins in a row after the change.
In the postseason, they took the move a step further, as Robinson wasn’t in their regular rotation. He only played when there were injuries, as Victor Oladipo overtook him in the rotation on the wing.
There have been reports that the Heat could look to move on from him this offseason as a result. Tyler Herro has been combined with him in some scenarios, but in this one, they can get a good player in return in Eric Gordon without having to sacrifice Herro.
Instead, the Heat send two picks over to the Rockets to complete the deal to make up for holding onto Herro. For Miami, that is a price worth paying as they are looking to contend for a championship.
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Gordon is a very good 3-point shooter, helping replace Robinson in that regard. But, he provides a lot more of an offensive punch as he can create for himself and get to the basket. 79 players attempted at least 200 shots off of drives last season and Gordon finished fourth in shooting percentage behind only Chris Paul, Karl-Anthony Towns and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
That is production that Miami is never going to get from Robinson, who offers very little outside of 3-point shooting. If the Heat wins the championship, or Gordon makes an All-Star game, his contract for the 2023-23 season becomes guaranteed. Despite some spotty injury history, he is worth the price even if he isn’t an expiring deal.
