The 3 most underpaid Miami Heat players for next season

Going into the 2023-2024 NBA season, the Miami Heat are entering the year with a total cap of $184,304,572, which ranks as the seventh most amongst all NBA teams. While the number seems pretty high, Miami seems to always find players who perform way above their contracts. A perfect example would be Duncan Robinson, who had a salary of $1.3 million when he shot a career-best 44.6% from 3-point range.

When evaluating each player’s salary, there are three players who are currently at a bargain given how they fit Miami’s system and what they bring to the table with their skillsets. Let’s start with a familiar face who was once on Miami a few years back.

1. Josh Richardson

After being included in a sign-and-trade that landed Jimmy Butler to Miami, Josh Richardson found himself back with the Heat after being on five different teams over the past four seasons. According to Barry Jackson from the Miami Herald, Richardson had a larger offer on the table from another team. But after a conversation with Spoelstra, Richardson decided to return to the team that drafted him in the second round on a two-year, $5.9 million dollar deal with a player option in his final year.

Bringing Richardson back for that amount is an absolute steal given his ability to defend and also knock down the three, as Richardson shot 36.5 percent from behind the arc. While Richardson will more than likely have the ball in his hands less as opposed to his last season in Miami where a lot of nights he was the main option, Richardson can provide floor spacing to create driving lanes and adds even more defensive versatility to a team that’s predicated on playing the best defense possible. With Richardson also being familiar with Spoelstra’s system and schemes, it is definitely possible Richardson sees closing minutes in close games.