Mailbag: Is Josh Richardson too valuable to include in a deal?

The weekly Miami Herald Heat mailbag is here to answer your questions.

If you weren’t able to ask a question this time, send your questions for future mailbags via Twitter (@Anthony_Chiang). You can also email me at achiang@miamiherald.com.

@AussyBlade: With the way Josh Richardson is playing, do you think Pat Riley will/should hang onto him?

Anthony Chiang: There isn’t a player on the Heat’s roster who’s untouchable if the return is good enough, but there are guys the Heat would rather hang on to. Josh Richardson is at the top of that list. He’s young, talented and on a team-friendly contract . And Richardson, 25, is only getting better. He was already one of the league’s top perimeter defenders. Now, Richardson has taken a big step forward on offense end to start the season, averaging 21.4 points on 43.9 percent shooting to go with 4.4 rebounds and 2.9 assists. His career high in points entering the season was 12.9, which came last season. So, yeah, that’s quite the jump.

But it’s Richardson’s contract that makes him the Heat’s most valuable asset. Miami has a young and improving two-way player on a very good deal. Richardson is in the first season of a four-year, $42 million extension he signed with the Heat in the 2017 offseason. That makes him the seventh-highest paid player on the Heat’s roster this season behind Hassan Whiteside ($25.4 million), Tyler Johnson ($19.2 million), Goran Dragic ($18.1 million), James Johnson ($14.4 million), Kelly Olynyk ($11.1 million) and Dion Waiters ($11.6 million).

Let’s get to the real question, though. Should the Heat include Richardson in a deal for Jimmy Butler? With the way Richardson has started the season, it would be hard to justify. If Butler is traded to Miami, he would be eligible to sign a five-year, $190 million with the Heat next summer. He would make $40 million and $43 million in the final two seasons of that contract, which will end when Butler is 34 years old. To put it into perspective, the final year of that contract is worth more than Richardson’s entire extension.

@PurpleBuckets: Has it hit you yet that that Dwyane Wade is retiring? Because it hit me just now and I’m not ready.

Anthony: It doesn’t look like Dwyane Wade is ready for retirement either. He’s averaging 14.3 points on 45 percent shooting to go with four rebounds and 2.9 assists through the first nine games. Those are pretty good numbers for a player who’s on a farewell tour. By comparison, Kobe Bryant averaged 17.6 points on 35.8 percent shooting in his final NBA season. Wade has been efficient and effective in his sixth man role. More importantly, he’s helping the Heat win.

This story was originally published November 6, 2018 at 1:37 PM.