Nick Richards sends warning to NBA after signing with Heat

After the Miami Heat signed star Klay Thompson to fill the priority of three-point shooting on Aug. 23, the team shortly after addressed another need in the frontcourt. As the Heat signed center Nick Richards, the newcomer would send a message to the rest of the NBA about not giving him a shot.

Richards signed a non-guaranteed standard contract with Miami to fill the 14th roster spot, leaving one spot left, as it does not count the three two-way contracts. The Heat needed more depth at the center position, with Bam Adebayo and Bobby Portis Jr. the only two players who have mostly played the role, as Richardson fills that need.

His $3.1 million salary will become guaranteed if Richards ends up making the roster for Miami’s opening game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Oct. 21. The 28-year-old big man is looking to prove to the Heat that he belongs on the team and to the rest of the league about the ramifications of passing him up.

“I think that there are a lot of teams that passed up on me that I felt like they should have given me more consideration,” Richards said Tuesday, according to The Miami Herald. “But it didn’t work that way, and I feel like it’s just time for me to show them that you guys were wrong and you should have picked me.”

A look at the Heat’s newest center, Nick Richards

A second-round pick in the 2020 NBA Draft by the Charlotte Hornets, his best season came in the 2023-24 season, where he averaged 9.7 points on 69.1 percent shooting from the field to go along with eight rebounds per game. Last season, he started with the Chicago Bulls, but was then traded to the Phoenix Suns in February, where he averaged 5.8 points on 51.2 percent shooting from the field and 5.1 rebounds.

“I feel like I’m in the right situation that was best for me,” Richards said. “We just got to take advantage of the opportunity that I have right now.”

While a non-guaranteed contract wasn’t what was planned for Richards, he looks to show the Heat he’s worth keeping.

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