NBA business strikes again: Highsmith sacrificed, Draymond Green exposes what many keep quiet
Apr 11, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Miami Heat forward Haywood Highsmith (24) brings the ball up court against New Orleans Pelicans forward Jeremiah Robinson-Earl (50) during the first half at Smoothie King Center. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
The Miami Heat continue their restructuring with the trade of Haywood Highsmith to the Brooklyn Nets. The forward joins Brooklyn along with a 2032 second-round pick in exchange for a protected 2026 second-round pick. This transaction comes five months after Jimmy Butler‘s departure to Golden State.
The Miami Heat have traded Haywood Highsmith and a 2032 second-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets for a protected 2026 second-round pick, sources tell ESPN. pic.twitter.com/ilO1dBStWw
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) August 15, 2025
A solid player sacrificed for financial reasons
Undrafted in 2018 after leaving Wheeling, Highsmith built his career step by step. After playing for the G League team of the Philadelphia 76ers and in Europe, he joined Miami during the 2021-2022 season before establishing himself as a valuable rotation player in 2022-2023.
Last season, the 27-year-old forward posted respectable statistics with 6.5 points and 3.4 rebounds per game, shooting 45.8% from the field and 38.2% from 3-point range in 24.6 minutes per game. He started 42 of 74 games played with the Heat, demonstrating his versatility and reliability.
Miami avoids luxury tax, Green attacks critics
This trade primarily allows Miami to get under the luxury tax threshold after two consecutive seasons of exceeding it. The Heat thus avoid the repeater tax they would have had to pay in case of a fourth consecutive overage, a clear financial priority for the franchise.
Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors seized the opportunity to defend his new teammate Jimmy Butler. « You all (internet experts) wanted Jimmy to come off the bench behind this guy, and 5 months later the Heat traded him for peanuts, » Green wrote on Threads. « That’s crazy. » This statement from the Warriors forward highlights the irony of the situation, as Butler had been criticized in comparison to Highsmith before his own transfer.
With only 13 players under contract after this trade, Miami can still add two players to its roster for the 2025-2026 season. This flexibility is part of a still unclear strategy between competitiveness and rebuilding for a franchise that had reached the playoffs last season despite Butler’s mid-season departure.
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