The Miami Heat are gradually finalizing their roster. After turning Klay Thompson into their 13th man, the Florida squad has closed another gap by adding Nick Richards, who, per Shams Charania for ESPN, has signed a one-year deal and will look to bring some depth to Spoelstra’s frontcourt rotation.
Free agent center Nick Richards has agreed to a one-year deal with the Miami Heat, sources tell ESPN. After signing Klay Thompson, the Heat fill roster slot No. 14 with a reserve big man. pic.twitter.com/gAsCfab8b4
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 27, 2026
Richards plugs a spot where Miami really needed help, because Bam Adebayo had been the only usable center on the roster to date. It is true that we might expect Giannis Antetokounmpo to slide into that role for certain stretches, and that Bobby Portis has sometimes played the five despite his defensive limitations, but neither one fits, for one reason or another, the typical center profile. And that is a vacancy Nick Richards can fill.
Nevertheless, the former Bulls man appears more like a depth option than a player expected to log heavy minutes, even though he wrapped up the 2025-26 season on a positive note. With 9.4 points and 7.6 rebounds in 22 minutes per game over the 20 games he appeared in for Chicago, he demonstrated a relatively intriguing productive capacity that had previously surfaced during his Hornets days—a quality the Heat will look to recapture.
In the end, he wouldn’t be the first player to reach his best form under Spoelstra.
