Reported first by Shams Charania, Haywood Highsmith has been dealt to the nets in a trade.
Full trade details:
Nets Receive
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Haywood Highsmith
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Unprotected 2032 second round pick
Heat Receive
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Conditional 2026 second round pick (Heat get the pick if the Nets finish top 5 in the East)
So seemingly, the Heat get nothing. Why is this? Haywood Highsmith was not a bad player. Last season, his averages were 6.5 PPG | 3.4 RPG | 1.5 APG | 38.2% 3PT on 74 GP. Pat Riley may be the reason he was moved.
Riley has made it clear that his mission is to reform the roster. Bam Adebayo in an interview from April said, “There are going to be a lot of changes this summer. Just from my point of view, understanding how the guy with the silver hair [Pat Riley] works.” This move was evidently a trade to shed salary, potentially for a bigger signing or trade.
Heat Financial Impact:
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Now $4M+ under the luxury tax (was $1.6M over the luxury tax before trade)
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Creates a $5.6M trade exception
Nets Financial Impact:
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Takes in $5.6M
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Still under $22M under the salary cap
Given the financial impact, the Heat more than likely sacrificed Highsmith for flexibility.
Highsmith was also dealing with his knee surgery from his meniscus tear and was likely going to miss the start of the NBA season. And now with two open roster spots, Larsson, Jaiquez, Johnson possibly have room for more minutes.
The Nets have added another trade asset and a smart 3&D wing in this deal.