The Heat have added another body to the frontcourt mix, agreeing to a one-year deal with free agent center Nick Richards.
Shams Charania of ESPN first reported the agreement, and Miami later made it official in a press release. While no extra terms were disclosed, the contract is expected to be at the veteran’s minimum. Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel reported that Richards’ salary will stay non-guaranteed until the start of the regular season.
Richards had been linked to Miami for days after it was reported last week that he was working out with Heat players in the city. The 28-year-old has now spent six seasons in the league since going 42nd overall in 2020, and he has logged 305 regular season games for the Hornets, Suns, and Bulls.
For much of his career, Richards has operated as a reserve, though he did serve as Charlotte’s primary starting center in 2023/24 and started again for Phoenix in 2025. Last season, he split time between Phoenix and Chicago, making 48 appearances and six starts while averaging 5.8 points and 5.1 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per game.
The non-guaranteed nature of the deal still gives Miami some flexibility, but Richards appears positioned to claim the 14th spot on the team’s standard 15-man roster. If he sticks, the 6-foot-11 big man would add depth alongside Bam Adebayo, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Bobby Portis, and Nikola Jovic.
Financially, the move also fits. After Klay Thompson earlier this week, the Heat were sitting with about $5MM in room below their first-apron hard cap and 13 players on standard contracts. Richards’ cap hit is $2.45MM, which would leave Miami with roughly $2.57MM of space under the hard cap - enough for a 15th player if the team chooses to open the season with a full roster.
And there’s another ripple effect. Once Richards officially signs, Miami will be able to finalize its reported deals with training camp invitees whenever it wants. As Winderman noted, teams must have at least 14 players on standard contracts before they can sign someone to a deal that includes an Exhibit 9 clause.
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