The backup big man that the Miami Heat have been looking for may have unintentionally fallen into their laps. After being waived by the Washington Wizards earlier this week, Richaun Holmes is a big man who could fit what the Heat may be looking for to answer their depth issues.
Even though Holmes, at 31 years old, would act as more of a stopgap than a long-term answer, he could play the role the Heat needs heading into the 2025-26 NBA season.
He wouldn't need to be magical, he'd just need to be reliable. And while that's been a question mark throughout his career, there's an argument to be made that he could be worth a flier for Miami. Or, at the very least, a training camp invite.
Holmes played in 31 games last year for the Wizards and averaged seven points and five rebounds. During the 2020-21 season, he had a career year in which he started 61 games for the Sacramento Kings and posted 14 points and eight boards per contest. If there's any production left in Holmes, Miami is a place where he could find it.
Would the Heat be interested in a stopgap option?
As the Heat continues to hold flexibility with an open roster spot, it remains to be seen how they intend to use it. At this point, it's anyone's guess who they could be holding it for.
Are they waiting for Damian Lillard to make a decision on his future? Are they hoping another veteran could hit the open market via a buyout? Are they looking for one of their undrafted summer league players to stand out and gift them this spot?
All of those options could certainly be on the table for the Heat. However, there's also a good chance Miami could be looking for the right backup big to add before the start of training camp. Maybe that could be Holmes.
Right now, the Heat has pretty shaky depth behind Bam Adebayo and Kel'el Ware in the frontcourt. If you consider Nikola Jovic a 4, he's there, and there's not much else. It'd be unfair to expect Vlad Goldin to play much of a role this season, and even though the Heat likes to play small, Haywood Highsmith is not the answer in the frontcourt.
It's certainly an area that will almost certainly have to be addressed between now and training camp.
Maybe there's another big that the Heat have their eye on, but as we get deeper and deeper into the offseason, it's going to be much more difficult for Miami not to consider a veteran like Holmes for that final roster spot this season.
At the very least, he's certainly one name to watch.