Miami Heat guard Josh Richardson made an honest comment about his decision to return to the Miami Heat in the 2024-25 season on a minimum deal.
“Nobody wants to play on a minimum, to be honest,” Richardson said after being asked if it’s hard to accept playing on a minimum salary for a second consecutive season. “But yeah, I had offers when I came back for more. But it’s kind of the crib. So it’s one of those things that you’re kind of like, what’s important?”
The 2023-24 season was cut short for the veteran guard, as Richardson suffered an injury to his right shoulder, costing him the final two months of the regular season and Miami’s playoff series against the Boston Celtics.
Instead of testing free agency this offseason, Richardson decided to opt into his player option for $3.1 million. The move certainly helped the Heat going into free agency, giving them some depth at the guard position.
Richardson appeared in 43 games for the Heat during the 2023-24 campaign, averaging 9.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game while shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 34.7 percent from beyond the arc.
A second-round pick by Miami in the 2015 NBA Draft, Richardson played the first four seasons of his career with the Heat. He has also spent time with the Philadelphia 76ers, Dallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Pelicans.
Richardson believes that there is some “unfinished business” from last season for himself, as he had been playing well before his injury. He also thinks the Heat had a lot of potential last season before injuries got in the way.
While Richardson decided to remain with Miami this offseason, the Heat did lose a key role player in Caleb Martin in free agency. The forward opted to sign a four-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers, leaving a hole in Miami’s rotation.
Still, outside of Richardson, Miami made some moves earlier this offseason that should help the team in the 2024-25 campaign. Haywood Highsmith and Thomas Bryant decided to return to the Heat on new deals, and Miami also added veteran Alec Burks to improve its depth.
Those aren’t massive moves, but they give Miami some flexibility when it comes to building out the rotation for the 2024-25 campaign.
Hopefully, Richardson can be an impactful player for the Heat this season and prove that he deserves more than a minimum deal when he hits free agency next offseason.
