The Nets acquired forward Haywood Highsmith from the Miami Heat on Friday, furthering their offseason strategy of salary-absorbing trades.
In addition to absorbing Highsmith’s $5.6 million expiring contract, the Nets acquired an unprotected 2032 second-round pick from Miami while sending a 2026 second-round pick, protected from No. 31 to No. 55, to the Heat, per the team.
Brooklyn, the NBA’s only team with significant cap space, has $22.5 million remaining after acquiring Highsmith, per NBA salary cap analyst Yossi Gozlan. With 17 players on the roster and $131.9 million in total salaries, the Nets must trim two players before the regular season begins.
Highsmith, 28, is a tenacious defensive specialist with growing 3-point range. Last season, he played a career-high 74 games for Miami, starting 42, and averaged 6.5 points while shooting 45.8% from the field, 38.2% from deep and 72.1% from the free-throw line.
Before entering the NBA as an undrafted free agent, the Baltimore native played four seasons at Wheeling University, earning First Team Division II All-America and Mountain East Conference Player of the Year honors in his senior year.
In June, the Nets traded Cam Johnson to the Denver Nuggets for Michael Porter Jr. and an unprotected 2032 first-round pick. They also acquired Terance Mann and the draft rights to Drake Powell, the No. 22 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, from the Atlanta Hawks in a three-team deal with the Boston Celtics.
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