How Josh Richardson Led To Jimmy Butler Era With Miami Heat

It's hard to believe it has been eight years since the Miami Heat handed the keys to Josh Richardson. 

Without a Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh or LeBron James, the Heat decided to make Richardson their No. 1 scoring option during the 2018-19 season. It was a tall task because he was only in his fourth season after being a second-rounder in the 2015 draft. 

Still, the Heat felt Richardson had shown enough to become the go-to guy. At times, Richardson showed he could handle it. Then there were others he struggled mightily. 

That season, the Heat just narrowly missed the postseason with Richardson in charge. He averaged 16.6 points on 41 percent shooting. While Richardson, who announced his retirement late Wednesday night, was unable to meet those high expectations, the situation did lead to something special in Heat history. 

It was then when the Heat realized they needed a true No. 1 scoring threat. Shortly after the season, they traded Richardson to the Philadelphia 76ers in exchange for Jimmy Butler in the summer of 2019. 

Butler made an immediate impact. He led the Heat to the NBA Finals during the 2020 "bubble" season in Orlando, where they lost to LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in six games. Butler went on to solidify himself as one of the top 20 players in the league, becoming the Heat's primary player. 

In 2022, Butler led Miami to the No. 1 seed in the East before coming just short against the Boston Celtics in the conference finals. The following year, the Heat marched all the way to the NBA Finals as the No. 8 seed. The only thing that stood in their way of another title was Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. 

The Butler era ended in disaster when he began feuding with teammates , coach Erik Spoelstra and ultimately team president Pat Riley. He was traded to the Golden State Warriors in February of 2025. 

But just remember that one of the greatest runs in Heat history started because of Richardson. 

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Shandel Richardson is the publisher of HeatRoundtable. He can be reached at [email protected]