News broke Sunday afternoon that Duncan Robinson will decline his $20 million ETO to test free agency. In a move that doesn’t provide much clarity, should the Miami Heat keep Duncan Robinson around?

Duncan Robinson will enter free agency as an unrestricted free agent this year on June 30th at 6 p.m. Eastern time.

Robinson can work with the Heat organization to get a long-term deal, or he could pursue a contract in free agency to get a sign-and-trade deal with the Heat. For the franchise’s all-time leading 3-point shooter, Robinson wants to do right by Miami, whether or not it means he plays in a Heat uniform next year.

Robinson has been with Miami his entire career, but earned his spot on the roster the hard way. Robinson went undrafted after graduating from Michigan, and he agreed to join the Heat in the Summer League. After opening eyes with his 63% from 3-point range in that Summer League, the Heat knew they would have to keep him around and it was only a matter of time until he would find his way on the floor in the NBA.

Duncan Robinson really surged in the 2020 season. Robinson joined Tyler Herro as a young star who helped Bam Adebayo and Jimmy Butler get over the hump to the NBA Finals in a weird lockout season. Robinson and Herro thrived in the bubble, and after they fell short in the NBA Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers, everyone got excited about the possibility of Herro and Robinson leading the Heat for the next decade.

Since the 2019-20 season, Robinson’s minutes have fluctuated. Being a defensive liability was a detriment to his playing time, but he has worked to improve in this area to see the floor. Robinson has also tried to become more than just a 3-point shooter, driving to the basket and getting involved in the offense more.

You would think in this day and age, three-point shooters would be a gem mine and see the floor constantly. That’s the Stephen Curry effect. Yet with Robinson, for whatever reason, he has not found a consistent role in the Heat’s starting lineup. He averaged 24.1 minutes a night this past season and started 37 games in 74 appearances. At 31 years old, you would think Robinson would have reached his ceiling in Miami and the Erik Spoelstra regime. With Spo not leaving town anytime soon, Robinson might if he wants an expanded role in another offense.

Duncan Robinson would still be valuable for Miami. With the Heat not knowing what to do with their other wings like Andrew Wiggins and Haywood Highsmith, or if they’ll package Nikola Jovic or Jaime Jaquez Jr. in a deal, they know what they have with Robinson. He also plays a vital role when the Heat are down, you can put Robinson in to get the threes falling. Losing a player like Robinson would be hard to replace, especially looking at the free agency class this summer.

Could Robinson command more than the $20 million he was due? Could he return to Miami on a more team-friendly deal? All of these scenarios are highly unrealistic. Robinson could be gone from South Beach for the first time in his career and his 3-point shooting will be hard to replace.

If this is the end, Robinson was the best 3-point shooter in Miami’s history in just 423 games. And if this is the end of the ride, what a run it was! Miami did indeed run on Duncan.