Much has been made of the Miami Heat this summer, especially with their major acquisition of Giannis Antetokounmpo. The “Greek Freak” is expected to help lead a new era for the South Beach franchise. While Giannis has firmly established himself as one of the league’s most celebrated talents, him joining Miami alone hasn’t exactly shot the Heat straight into title contender status.
They’re a team I largely see as being in a similar boat to Toronto — having made a big splash, but still in the process of adjusting and figuring out how to tighten up roster kinks and address their deficiencies. That said, as I just wrote about here on RR, you can easily find several basketball commentators and outlets suggesting the Raptors might actually be ahead of the Heat heading into next season’s closely-contested Eastern Conference pecking order.
Shooting has been a key area for the Heat to address, and they’ve taken steps to fix that with the additions of Tim Hardaway Jr. and, more recently, Klay Thompson. While Miami could still use some reinforcements in playmaking and reliable point guard insurance, they’ve also been looking to add some size and big man depth to complement Giannis, Bam Adebayo, and, to a lesser extent, Bobby Portis. That effort has recently led them to Nick Richards, who has circulated on the Heat's rumored radar as of late.
Heat add to their depth chart by snagging big man Nick Richards off free agency
The 28-year-old joins Miami after a brief stint in Chicago last season, landing with the Bulls at the 2026 trade deadline. Before that, Richards had a short stint with the Phoenix Suns, but most of his NBA career has been with the Charlotte Hornets, who drafted him in 2020 as the 42nd overall pick. A three-year player at Kentucky, Richards was actually a teammate of Raptors guard Immanuel Quickley, sharing two college seasons before both turning pro in 2020.
Even during his later days in Charlotte, I’ve largely viewed Richards as a potential target for the Raptors to explore at the center position (Daniel Gafford, Nic Claxton, Day’Ron Sharpe, Yves Missi, Goga Bitadze, and Jaxson Hayes round out my rest). I even considered him as someone Toronto could pursue at this past year's deadline before he was ultimately traded to Chicago.
Now, Richards isn’t exactly a world-beater at the center position. In fact, considering he hasn’t carved out a solid spot on any team since leaving Charlotte (and that he basically dragged out the entire free agency period before finally getting picked up) should tell you he’s not viewed as a high-value asset. Most of his upside comes from the energy and athleticism he brings, but he can often fumble or make low-IQ decisions at a deeper level than his surface numbers or physical tools might suggest.
That said, we’re talking about a backup or third-string center here. Is Nick Richards really supposed to be held to such a crazy high standard? As long as he can come in and provide serviceable minutes when needed, that’s not much of a negative for a team. And honestly, that’s exactly what the Raptors were looking for this offseason — much like the Heat.
Raptors could've benefitted from a low-cost, low-risk option like Nick Richards
Toronto’s center rotation is currently made up of Jakob Poeltl, who’s basically a walking question mark at this point, Collin Murray-Boyles, who could very well lock down the main spot himself, and then it drops off quickly with Trayce Jackson-Davis as the current third-string. TJD could possibly even be the fourth-string before Kyle Anderson, who can slide in for some small-ball five minutes. Not to knock TJD; he was largely the Raptors’ most notable 2026 trade deadline acquisition, and while he’s survived to return for the 2026-27 season, he’s far from a proven commodity.
There’s also been little indication that Toronto is sold on his upside in the rotation. Richards could’ve slid right in as a better insurance policy, offering more size and physicality compared to TJD. He’s posted some solid rebounding seasons (8.6, 8.0, 7.6, and 7.5 boards per game), which for a Raptors team that struggles on the glass, could be a real boost.
The magic number for many of the Raptors’ frontcourt depth pieces has largely been in line with “Vision 6’9”, but even with Richards’ other concerns, you can’t turn down a near 7-footer (he’s 6-foot-11) for the ultra-cheap price. Per reports, the Heat signed him to a non-guaranteed, one-year deal, which isn't much of a sacrifice by any means and perhaps even weaker than he rightfully deserved.
While I still believe the Raptors will be firmly there, trying to jump ahead of teams like the Heat, I can’t shake the concern that Toronto’s only real moves to somewhat address their lack of size were signing unproven Trey Jemison III to a two-way contract and running it back with Trayce Jackson-Davis. Nick Richards could’ve been a sneaky pickup to help fill that gap, but now, he’s at the expense of Miami to use.
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