Chicago Bulls center Nick Richards (13) dunks the ball on Denver Nuggets center Jonas Valanciunas (17) during the second half at United Center.
David Banks
IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
The Miami Heat’s roster for this upcoming season is almost full.
Just days after signing future Hall of Fame guard Klay Thompson to a two-year contract on Sunday, a league source confirmed Thursday that the Heat signed veteran center Nick Richards to a non-guaranteed one-year deal to fill the 14th spot on its roster for next season.
Richards’ $3.1 million salary for this upcoming season becomes fully guaranteed if he’s on the Heat’s roster on opening night, according to a league source. But because of NBA rules, Richards’ cap hit would be just $2.5 million if his deal becomes guaranteed by Miami.
The Heat still has one open spot on its 15-man standard roster for next season, and just enough money under the first apron that it’s hard-capped at to fill the 15th spot by signing a player to a minimum contract before the season starts.
Richards, 28, split last season between the Phoenix Suns and Chicago Bulls. He averaged 5.8 points, 5.1 rebounds and 0.7 blocks per game while shooting 51.2% from the field and 5 of 18 (27.8%) from three-point range in 14.6 minutes per game across 48 games (six starts) last season.
Richards, who has been working out in the Heat’s Kaseya Center facility in recent weeks, was selected by the New Orleans Pelicans with the 42nd overall pick in the second round of the 2020 NBA Draft. He spent three seasons at Kentucky before entering the NBA, and was born and raised in Kingston, Jamaica.
During Richards’ first six NBA seasons, he has averaged 7.1 points, 5.8 rebounds and 0.8 blocks per game while shooting 62.1% from the field and 6 of 23 (26.1%) on threes.
Richards’ best season came in 2023-24 with the Charlotte Hornets, when he averaged a career-high 9.7 points per game while playing a career-high 26.2 minutes per game across a career-high 67 regular-season appearances. He also averaged eight rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game that season.
Richards (6-11, 245 pounds) brings much-needed frontcourt depth to the Heat’s roster, with Bam Adebayo and Bobby Portis the only other players currently on Miami’s standard roster who have played extended minutes at center during their NBA careers. The only other center on Miami’s roster is two-way contract big man Vlad Goldin.
Richards will wear No. 8 with the Heat.
Two-way contract addition
The Heat is also bringing back a familiar face in forward Keshad Johnson, adding Johnson to a two-way contract on Thursday, according to a league source.
Johnson, who spent the last two seasons with the Heat after going undrafted in 2024, spent last season on a standard deal with Miami. But the Heat did not extend a qualifying offer to Johnson this offseason, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Johnson was still eligible for a two-way contract because he has fewer than four years of NBA experience. Johnson, 25, is entering his third NBA season.
Johnson, who won the NBA’s Slam Dunk Contest last season, averaged 4.3 points, 1.9 rebounds, 0.5 steals and 0.3 blocks per game while shooting 49% from the field and 13 of 44 (29.5%) on threes across 32 appearances with the Heat last regular season. He averaged 17.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.9 blocks per game in eight G League appearances last season.
Two-way contracts, which pay half the NBA rookie minimum and do not count toward the salary cap or luxury tax, allow for players to be on their NBA team’s active list for as many as 50 regular-season games with other game action having to come in the G League. Two-way deals can be swapped out at any time and do not come with playoff eligibility.
The Heat’s three two-way contract slots are now filled with guard Tre Donaldson, Goldin and Johnson.
Exhibit 10 signing
With the Heat’s standard roster at 14 players after the signing of Richards, the Heat became eligible to begin adding developmental prospects to Exhibit 10 contracts.
Along with the addition of Richards and the signing of Johnson, the Heat announced Thursday that it signed Louisville forward J’Vonne Hadley to an Exhibit 10 deal. Hadley played for the Heat’s summer league team this year after going undrafted this summer.
An Exhibit 10 contract is essentially an invite to training camp/preseason and protects players from being signed away by another team.
Hadley, who went undrafted this year out of Louisville, stands 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds. He averaged six points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game while shooting 39.1% from the field and 3 of 13 (23.1%) from three-point range across five Las Vegas Summer League appearances.
The Heat’s Exhibit 10 players will have an opportunity to compete for a two-way contract with the team during the preseason. Even with Miami’s three two-way contract slots currently filled, two-way deals are allowed to be swapped out at any time.
If the Heat’s Exhibit 10 players don’t get a two-way contract, Miami will waive them before the start of the regular season and likely try to move them to its G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce.
Where Heat’s roster stands
NBA teams are allowed to carry up to 21 players under contract in the offseason and preseason. Rosters must be cut to a maximum total of 18 players (15 on standard contracts and three on two-way contracts) by the start of the regular season.
The Heat currently has 18 players signed to contracts (14 on standard deals, three on two-way deals and one on an Exhibit 10 deal).
The 14 players who the Heat has signed to standard contracts are Giannis Antetokounmpo, Adebayo, Andrew Wiggins, Nikola Jovic, Portis, Davion Mitchell, Tim Hardaway Jr., Thompson, Dru Smith, Simone Fontecchio, Richards, Pelle Larsson, Myron Gardner and Ryan Conwell.
The Heat is scheduled to hold its annual media day on Sept. 28 at Kaseya Center before opening training camp on Sept. 29.
This story was originally published August 27, 2026 at 3:51 PM.
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Anthony Chiang covers the Miami Heat for the Miami Herald. He attended the University of Florida and was born and raised in Miami.