MIAMI — Three weeks from the start of training camp, there is zero question about the ultimate lingering issue for the Miami Heat, in what appears to remain a zero-sum game.
The team’s official roster tells that story.
More than two months since signing Josh Richardson for a reunion tour with the team, the Heat have yet to formally return Richardson to the No. 0 he wore with the team from his selection in the second round of the 2015 NBA draft to his 2019 trade to the Philadelphia 76ers for Jimmy Butler.
No. 0 remains available from the team, worn only by since-departed Meyers Leonard and Marcus Garrett since Richardson’s departure four years ago. No. 0 also is the number worn by Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, who continues to remain aligned to his stance of pushing for a trade to the Heat amid the Blazers’ rebuild
As training camp approaches, speculation continues to ratchet up in the typical NBA spin cycle, with none of the parties involved directly addressing the situation.
For their part, outside of the delay with the numerology on the team’s offseason roster, with other acquisitions beyond Richardson also yet to be assigned numbers, no member of the Heat front office, coaching staff or ownership wing has publicly addressed the speculation.
