After a standout summer league, Josh Richardson’s future is still in doubt.
The Miami Heat don’t doubt his talent, though. After taking Richardson in the second round of the NBA Draft, Pat Riley noted that he had a first round grade on the Tennessee guard.
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Richardson, an earnest and capable wing defender, joins the current logjam in Miami’s backcourt–which means the Heat will have to make some moves just to keep their second round pick on the roster.
Richardson was one of Miami’s most impressive players during Summer League, finishing with an average of 11.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 1.7 steals in 26.1 minutes per game.
The problem is that he’s yet to sign with the Heat, who have 17 others under contract. Three players–Henry Walker, James Ennis and Tyler Johnson–have unguaranteed deals. Meaning the Heat could waive them without facing much cap-related consequence between now and August 1, when those deals become partially guaranteed. Tick tock.
Walker is most likely the first one out the door. Last season’s late addition hasn’t played in Summer League, and he wasn’t all that impressive last year when he was playing. Ennis, meanwhile, has failed to show any progress this summer, and Johnson was playing well until he suffered a broken jaw, which further clouds his status on the team.
The Heat already have to part ways with two players just to get to the league maximum, 15 man roster. It would be one more if they wanted to keep Richardson around. It would be easy enough to cut Walker and Ennis–who have seemingly plateaued–and choose Richardson’s potential over Johnson.
However, muddying up the waters is Miami’s desire to trade Mario Chalmers and/or Shabazz Napier. The Heat are aggressively pursuing a trade partner to unload one of their backup point guards. Miami could save more than $4 million by trading Chalmers, or sell as high as possible on Napier. Chances are that Richardson won’t know his fate until Chalmers and Napier know theirs.
By all accounts and indications, the Heat want to keep Richardson around. After all, they are selling his jersey in team stores and tested him with increased responsibility in Las Vegas–including handling the ball and shooting more.
According to the Miami Herald, they will make him an offer to retain his rights. It’s just unclear if Richardson will be playing in the NBA or oversees. If he’s playing elsewhere, the Heat would be able to keep a roster spot for Ennis or Johnson.
There are a lot of questions regarding the last few spots on the Heat’s roster but, the most likely scenario seems to be trading Chalmers, cutting Walker and deciding between Ennis, Johnson and Richardson for the 15th spot on the roster.
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