The 40th overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, Josh Richardson has agreed to terms on a three-year, $2.5 million contract with the Miami Heat, league sources told Shams Charania. Grabbed straight out of Tennessee, the seemingly versatile wing turned heads during his performance in the Orlando and Las Vegas summer leagues. He was also the only member of the Heat’s summer team to appear in all 10 games played.
RealGM Sources: 40th overall pick Josh Richardson, Miami Heat agree to terms on a three-year, $2.5 million deal. https://t.co/ZLPXZVMzqq
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 28, 2015
The first season is guaranteed, with the next two featuring partial guarantee dates, sources have said, which is a contract setup common for productive second-round picks. The Heat cleared space in their backcourt in advance of Richardson’s signing by trading Shabazz Napier and Zoran Dragic.
“I feel perfect running the point. I can run the point or the two. I’m a versatile player,” Richardson said during summer league. “Coach can throw me out there anywhere and I’ll be all right.”
That made Richardson somewhat of a go-to player for Heat assistant Dan Craig, who guided the Heat’s summer-league team.
“Our scouting staff does a tremendous job evaluating talent,” Craig told the Sun-Sentinel “And this was a guy they had on the radar. He was around in the second round. We were probably fortunate to get him when we did. I don’t think his team performed as well as they probably wanted. And a lot of the team not doing well probably had a little bit to do with him slipping in the draft, which was great for us. Because he’s a tremendous player, on both sides of the floor. We were really happily surprised with how quickly he was able to evolve into the NBA game, particularly from the point-guard standpoint.”
Richardson averaged 11.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.6 assists in 10 summer league games in Las Vegas and Orlando switching between both guard positions. The Heat envision Richardson, 21, to have an immediate impact on the defensive end and transition into a backcourt role. As a senior at Tennessee, Richardson had averages of 16 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game.
