MIAMI — The Duncan Robinson era with the Miami Heat formally came to a close Tuesday, with the 3-point specialist moving on to the Detroit Pistons in a sign-and-trade transaction.
In return, the Heat received shooting specialist Simone Fontecchio, who in recent years has tormented the Heat with his instant-offense capabilities.
Because of the rules regarding taking on players in sign-and-trade transactions, the Heat now will operate the coming season under a hard cap.
Even with taking on Fontecchio’s $8.3 million salary in 2025-26 on the final year of the Italian forward’s contract, the Heat will remain below the punitive NBA luxury tax.
With the addition of Fontecchio, the Heat now are at the NBA regular-season limit of 15 players under standard contract, when counting the guaranteed deals of Fontecchio, Davion Mitchell, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Kel’el Ware, Andrew Wiggins, Nikola Jovic, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Haywood Highsmith, Kyle Anderson, Kevin Love, Terry Rozier, Keshad Johnson, Pelle Larsson and Kasparas Jakucionis, the first-round pick who signed Tuesday.
Teams are allowed to carry up to 20 players during the offseason.
The Heat still are positioned to spend $5 million in free agency and remain below the luxury tax, should they choose to move off a player currently under standard contract.
An NBA source confirmed to the South Florida Sun Sentinel that Robinson’s agreement with the Pistons is a three-year, $48 million contract. However, the second year of that deal is only partially guaranteed and the third not guarantee, making a far lower payoff likely. By rule, a sign-and-trade agreement has to be for at least three season, with only the first season required to be guaranteed.
The Heat’s all-time leader in 3-pointers made, Robinson on Sunday invoked his early-termination option to bypass the final year of the five-year, $90 million contract signed with the Heat in 2021 free agency.
With only $10 million of the $20 million on that final Heat season guaranteed, Robinson instead was able to negotiate a higher starting point on a new contract with the Pistons.
The deal delivers Robinson back to Michigan, where he elevated his collegiate career at the University of Michigan and caught the Heat’s eyes as an undrafted free agent in 2018.
The Robinson-Fontecchio transaction cannot be finalized until Sunday, when the NBA offseason contract moratorium concludes.
Fontecchio, 29, moved to the NBA in 2022-23, when he signed a two-year contract with the Utah Jazz after nine seasons of playing in Italy. He then was dealt by the Jazz to the Pistons on Feb. 8, 2024, before re-signing with Detroit last July following May 2024 toe surgery.
As for Robinson, 31, his emergence with the Heat came after a climb from Division III basketball roots at Williams College, before gaining his foothold at the next level at Michigan.
After gaining a foothold with the Heat’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, Robinson began his rise in the Heat record books, pushing to the top of the franchise’s all-time 3-point list.
But defensive limitations ultimately proved too limiting to maintain a role in the Heat’s playoff rotations, with Heat coach Erik Spoelstra eventually turning in other directions, despite Robinson’s offensive cohesion with Adebayo and other staples of the Heat lineups.
With the Pistons, he joins an emerging roster that includes the likes of Cade Cunningham, Ausar Thompson and Jalen Duren, with Detroit also adding Caris LeVert during the current free-agency period.
The Pistons had planned to sign Malik Beasley to a similar three-year, $48 million contract, but the emerging 3-point specialist was linked to a federal gambling probe just ahead of Monday’s 6 p.M. Start of free agency. The Pistons retain Beasley’s Bird Right.
Robinson closes his Heat career with 1,202 three-pointers on .397 shooting from beyond the arc.