Miami’s Shocking Salary Dump: Why Haywood Highsmith’s Brooklyn Trade Could Shake Up the Season

Haysmith and the Heat’s 2032 second-round pick go to the Nets in exchange for Brooklyn’s 2026 second-round pick, top-55 protected. Both the Nets and Heat have confirmed the trade.

OFFICIAL: The Miami HEAT have traded Haywood Highsmith and a 2032 second round pick to the Brooklyn Nets in exchange for a protected 2026 second round pick.Highsmith can fit into the Nets’ rotation (and could get traded again at the deadline). Last season in Miami he played in 72 games (starting 42) and averaged 6.5 points and 3.4 rebounds a night, plus shot 38.2% from beyond the arc.

For Miami, this is about getting out of the luxury tax. The Heat entered the day .4 million over the luxury tax line. With this trade, they are now more than million under that mark, giving them some flexibility at the trade deadline, if needed.

Haywood Highsmith has been traded to the Brooklyn Nets in what essentially is a salary dump for the Miami Heat.Sometimes, a move on paper doesn’t just shift players — it reshapes the financial chessboard. That’s exactly what happened when Haywood Highsmith landed with the Brooklyn Nets in a deal that’s less about blockbuster trades and more about Miami Heat shedding salary weight. Highsmith, along with a distant 2032 second-round pick, was sent to Brooklyn. In return? The Heat snagged a 2026 protected second-round pick from the Nets. Nothing flashy? Maybe. But for Miami, hovering just above the luxury tax threshold by .4 million, this is a masterstroke — pushing them over million below the tax line and unlocking strategic freedom for the months ahead. Meanwhile, Highsmith — sporting a .6 million expiring contract — offers Brooklyn both cap wiggle room and a rotation piece who averaged respectable numbers last season. Let’s unpack what this really means on and off the court. LEARN MORE.