MIAMI — The numbers game finally caught up Sunday to Orlando Robinson, with the Miami Heat waiving the second-year big man ahead of his July 15 contract guarantee deadline.
With centers Kevin Love and Thomas Bryant returning in free agency, with Indiana 7-footer Kel’el Ware taken in the first round of last month’s NBA draft, and with 2022 first-round pick Nikola Jovic last season moving into a starting role in the power rotation, Robinson stood as an odd man out.
Robinson would have received a $2.1 million salary for next season had he not been waived by his guarantee deadline.
The move gives Robinson the opportunity to catch on with another team before the start later this week of the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas,
While Robinson had thrived in summer league for the Heat the past two years, he had proven unable to replicate that success during the regular season, despite thriving in his stints with the Heat’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
Robinson appeared in 36 games, including seven starts, with the Heat last season, averaging 2.8 points and 2.3 rebounds in 8.4 minutes. As an undrafted rookie out of Fresno State in 2022-23, he appeared that season in 31 games and averaged 3.7 points and 4.1 rebounds.
By waiving Robinson, the Heat have the opportunity to further lower their luxury-tax hit against the punitive aprons in the NBA’s new collective- bargaining agreement should they replace him on the roster with a rookie.
The Heat also are eligible to re-sign Robinson once he clears the 48-hour waiver period.
Robinson ended the season hopeful of a return.
“It was a very productive season. I learned a lot, a lot more than I did my first year,” he said in the wake of the Heat’s first-round playoff ouster at the hands of the eventual NBA champion Boston Celtics. “I got to see many different things, places to grow, places where I was good, and I learned a lot.”
The Las Vegas native had hoped to utilize the summer with the Heat for further growth.
“I feel like the more I can do with my body will allow me to impact the defensive end,” he said at season’s end. “So just strengthening my body and creating more depth in that area will allow me to be more impactful on the defensive end.”
With the waiving of Robinson, who turns 24 on Wednesday, the Heat are down to 13 players under standard contract: Love, Jovic, Bryant, Ware, Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Terry Rozier, Duncan Robinson, Josh Richardson, recently added free agent Alec Burks and second-round pick Pelle Larsson.
Teams can carry up to 15 players under standard contract during the regular season, with the Heat in recent seasons opening with 14 to save against the luxury tax.
Teams also are allowed to carry up to three players on two-way contracts that pay half the standard minimum salary and limit such players to 50 appearances on the 82-game regular-season active roster. Holding those spots currently for the Heat are returning guard Dru Smith and undrafted rookies Zyon Pullin, the guard out of Florida, and forward Keshad Johnson, the forward out of Arizona.
Teams are allowed to carry up to 21 players during the offseason, a total that includes those on Exhibit 10 tryout contracts, with undrafted Colorado State guard Isaiah Stevens currently working under such a contract in the Heat’s summer program.