The New York Knicks are still without a third-string center behind Karl-Anthony Towns and Andre Drummond, though Nick Richards is still out there as an option. Over a month and a half has passed since the start of free agency, and he's still unsigned. That may not be the case for much longer, though, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reported on Wednesday that the Heat are interested in the center.
Meanwhile, Miami has kicked around the idea of adding veteran center Nick Richards — who has been working out with Heat players at Kaseya Center while dressed in Heat gear — but there had been no Heat offer and no deal as of midday Wednesday, per a source. Free agents can work out at the Heat’s facility if they sign a waiver.
You can assume that if it came down to New York or Miami for Richards, he'd covet the opportunity to get to play for the defending champions, who will be right back at the top of the East next season. Whether the Heat will be up there or not is a question mark, even after acquiring Giannis Antetokounmpo.
It could just be Miami for Richards, as if New York really wanted to sign the 28-year-old, it probably would've happened by now.
Heat are interested in Nick Richards
Signing Richards, who is six-foot-eleven, would make sense for Miami to boost a frontcourt headlined by Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo. He'd give Erik Spoelstra a semi-reliable option to turn to, which is just about all you can ask for at this point in the offseason. He's one of the better free agent centers left.
He split the season with the Suns (28 games) and the Bulls (20 games) this past season, finishing with an average of 9.4 points and 7.6 rebounds per contest in Chicago. Richards is a solid rebounder, rim protector, and screen setter.
You might be thinking that taking a swing at Richards would be worth it for the Knicks, but it looks like the front office is content with keeping a roster spot open and letting what happens in training camp and the preseason determine who their third-string center will be. By then, Richards should already be off the board, perhaps settling into his new home in Miami.
There is more uneasiness surrounding the center position because New York let Mitchell Robinson go in free agency, and he's irreplaceable. And, of course, Ariel Hukporti is gone, too. The Knicks need more insurance, and they could get that in Richards, but they don't seem interested in making that happen, or else he'd likely already be preparing to start the season with the Knicks.
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