Miami Heat reporter Anthony Chiang thinks wing Josh Richardson could return to the team this offseason. Richardson has a $3.05 million player option next season, and Chiang thinks the 30-year will likely pick it up.
Richardson may be back with the Heat next season, though. He has a player option in his contract worth $3.1 million to return to the Heat. Considering Richardson has a house in Miami, has enjoyed his two Heat tenures and is coming off a season-ending injury, it would not be a surprise to see Richardson exercise that option to stay with the Heat.
Richardson has been out of action since February 11 due to a shoulder injury. In his first season since re-joining the Heat, the Oklahoma native averaged 9.9 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists per game.
Miami Heat Reporter: Role Player “May Be Back” Next Season
What Josh Richardson Brings to the Miami Heat
Richardson is a solid wing for the Heat. Although he had mostly been used off the bench during the regular season, he can also be used as a spot starter. On the court, Richardson is a good two-way player, especially defensively. Earlier this year, Richardson talked about overcoming “defensive challenges.”
“I mean at this point in my career, it’s about angles, trying to be smart about it,” he said of such defensive challenges. “A lot of these guys, these young guys, have a lot of speed, their first step is quicker than mine could be. A lot more dribble moves, a lot more stuff nowadays. But a lot of it is about brains now.”
Furthermore, he is a solid playmaker and ball-handler. Additionally, head coach Erik Spoelstra enjoys having him around. After Richardson returned to Miami after four years away, Spoelstra talked about feeling “very fortunate” he came back to the team.
“To be able to get somebody like J-Rich, who we are all really comfortable with, who we spent so many hours and years spending time developing him and where he feels also comfortable in our system and how we operate, we just feel very fortunate that we were able to get him when we were able to get him.”
Additionally, at just $3 million, Richardson comes at a low price. On the open market, a player like Richardson could receive a heftier contract from a contending team. However, coming off a season-ending shoulder injury may make accepting the player option the better decision.
Josh Richardson Enjoys Playing for the Miami Heat
Richardson has played for six NBA teams in his nine-year career. However, he has played his best basketball while playing for the Heat. Last offseason, Richardson talked about having “a different mindset” when playing for Miami.
“When I’m here, it’s a different mindset,” Richardson said recently. “This summer, when I signed back, I felt the first day that I was working out that my mindset had to be different because of how competitive everything is here.”
Because of this, it seems clear why Richardson may pick up his player option to stay with the team at such a low cost. For now, it remains to be seen what will go down between Richardson and the Heat. However, bringing Richardson back is a good idea for both sides.
