Erik Spoelstra knew Heat would one day try to bring back Josh Richardson. Spoelstra was right
As soon as the Miami Heat traded guard Josh Richardson in the summer of 2019, his return seemed somewhat inevitable.
“We’ll probably be calling you again to bring you back,” Heat coach Erik Spoelstra told Richardson shortly after that move. “Just tuck that away somewhere.”
Spoelstra wasn’t lying. Four years later, Richardson is back with the Heat in training camp at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton and vying for a spot in the starting lineup.
“It’s always kind of been there,” Richardson said this week when asked if he ever thought about returning to the Heat during his time away. “It almost happened a couple times. But all the chips didn’t fall in place. But I mean, when I left, me and Spo talked about it that it was going to happen eventually. It’s just one of those things.”
The Heat traded Richardson to the Philadelphia 76ers as part of the sign-and-trade transaction for Jimmy Butler during the 2019 offseason. He has since played for the 76ers, Dallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics, San Antonio Spurs and New Orleans Pelicans before signing a two-year deal at the minimum in free agency to rejoin the Heat this summer.
A conversation with Spoelstra on the first night of free agency helped solidify Richardson’s decision to return this offseason. Spoelstra also coached Richardson during his first stint in Miami.
“It was one of those special conversations because we were able to revisit some of the things that we talked about back when he left,” Spoelstra said. “One of the things was he was a big piece, obviously, to get the transformative piece [Butler] for us. You take that as an incredible compliment as a player. Sometimes it sucks in this business to be involved in a move like that. But we invested so much in him.”
Richardson, who turned 30 in September, was selected by the Heat with the 40th overall pick in the second round of the 2015 Draft. He spent the first four seasons of his NBA career with the Heat before going on an NBA journey that had him playing for five different teams in the past four seasons.
Richardson averaged career highs in points (16.6 per game), rebounds (3.6 per game) and assists (4.1 per game) while being used in a leading role in his final season with the Heat in 2018-19 before being traded to the 76ers. Since that move, Richardson has averaged 11.4 points, three rebounds, 2.5 assists and one steal per game while shooting 43.2 percent from the field and 36.2 percent from three-point range in the past four seasons.
“Everywhere is not super conducive to how every guy plays,” Richardson said. “Some places like Philly, I averaged 13.5 points there with Joel [Embiid], Ben [Simmons], all those guys. But when guys were sitting, I would average like 17. So it’s different. But like Boston when I have four guys who can go get it at any time, it’s a little different. So I put emphasis on different stuff. I guess, every role is different, every place is different. I guess we’ll see what it’s like this year.”
With the trio of Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro now at the center of what the Heat does on the offensive end, Richardson will play more of a supporting role during his second stint with the team. But Richardson could be used as a starter, with the Heat looking to replace free agent departures Max Strus and Gabe Vincent from last season’s season-ending starting lineup.
Richardson has made clear he doesn’t care whether he’s starting or not “as long as I’m out there and I’m able to help the guys.”
“He’s just fit right back into the culture and the work, all of that,” Spoelstra said of Richardson. “I think you’re going to see a very dynamic two-way player. He’s improved with his experience. But the ability to defend multiple players and really be disruptive is unique, it’s going to fit right into our system.
“We value what he does, and I think the versatility of his offensive game will fit. He can play with a lot of different combinations and units and be effective. He can play three positions and his shooting really is, since he was here, it’s just continued to improve and that happens a lot of times with years in the league.”
Richardson’s defensive versatility and ability to hit spot-up threes will help the Heat. He shot a solid 37.2 percent on 3.9 catch-and-shoot three-point attempts per game last season — the only Heat rotation regular who was more efficient than Richardson on spot-up three-point looks last season was Herro.
“I was excited to come back,” Richardson said. “I felt like it was just kind of fitting. The way they play, the way I play.”
Fitting enough that Spoelstra felt like Richardson would be back in a Heat uniform from the day the Heat traded him to the 76ers in 2019.
“I was [upset] at the time. But I really did,” Richardson said when asked whether he believed Spoelstra. “And I don’t believe a lot of stuff people say because I’m a realist. I take it for what it is. But I always knew and had an idea in the back of my mind that [returning to the Heat] was going to be a possibility.”
Why did Richardson believe Spoelstra?
“Because Spo doesn’t just talk to talk,” Richardson said. “So there are certain people, when you speak they listen.”
This story was originally published October 4, 2023 at 8:51 AM.
