Heat begins to get clarity on player option decisions. Josh Richardson opts in to stay in Miami

With the Miami Heat awaiting decisions from four players who have the ability to opt out of their contracts by Saturday to become unrestricted free agents, the Heat received clarity from one of them on Friday.

Guard Josh Richardson picked up the $3.1 million player option in his contract for next season to remain with the Heat, according to a league source.

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Richardson, who turns 31 on Sept. 15, now enters the final season of his contract. He’s set to become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Richardson signed with the Heat last offseason in free agency, returning after spending the first four seasons of his NBA career with the Heat. He was dealt to the Philadelphia 76ers as part of the sign-and-trade transaction for Jimmy Butler during the 2019 offseason.

But Richardson’s return season with the Heat was cut short, as he underwent season-ending surgery on his right shoulder on March 6. He averaged 9.9 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game while shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 34.7 percent on threes in 43 games (six starts) this past regular season prior to missing the final 29 games of the regular season and the entire postseason.

It’s still up in the air whether Richardson will be healthy enough to be a full participant in training camp at the start of October, but the hope is he’ll be ready to play at the start of the regular season later that month.

With Richardson formally opting in to remain with the Heat, he’s immediately eligible to be included in a trade.

The Heat now waits on decisions from Caleb Martin ($7.1 million player option), Kevin Love ($4 million player option) and Thomas Bryant ($2.8 million) on their player options. They all have until Saturday at 5 p.m. to make a decision on whether they want to stay with the Heat or become unrestricted free agents this offseason.

With Richardson opting in, the Heat’s current salary-cap breakdown now includes nine players on guaranteed salaries for next season: Jimmy Butler ($48.8 million), Bam Adebayo ($34.8 million), Tyler Herro ($29 million), Terry Rozier ($24.9 million), Duncan Robinson ($19.4 million), Kel’el Ware ($4.2 million), Jaime Jaquez Jr. ($3.7 million), Richardson ($3.1 million) and Nikola Jovic ($2.5 million).

If the Heat signs second-round draft pick Pelle Larsson out of Arizona to a standard contract, he would become the 10th Heat player locked into a standard deal for next season. Miami could also sign Larsson a two-way contract.

But the Heat only has one of its three two-way contract slots open, after agreeing to two-way deals with Florida guard Zyon Pullin and Arizona forward Keshad Johnson on Thursday shortly after the completion of the NBA Draft. Pullin and Johnson went undrafted.

The Heat also announced Friday that it has extended qualifying offers to Cole Swider and Alondes Williams, making them restricted free agents and allowing the Heat to match outside offers. Swider and Williams, who both closed last regular season on two-way contracts with the Heat, are expected to play for the Heat’s summer league team this year.

The Heat did not extend a qualifying offer to Jamal Cain, who spent the last two seasons on a two-way contract with Miami. Cain was only eligible for a qualifying offer at the veteran minimum on a standard contract, which the Heat bypassed.

With no qualifying offer, Cain will become an unrestricted free agent this offseason and he’s not expected to return to the Heat.

NBA teams were allowed to begin negotiating with their own impending free agents on June 18 after the NBA Finals ended. But free agents can’t begin negotiating with outside teams until Sunday at 6 p.m.