Suns To Bring Back Haywood Highsmith

The veteran forward was waived last Wednesday after spending just a few months with the team, and he became a free agent after clearing waivers on Friday. He held a $1MM guarantee on his $3MM contract for the upcoming season.

Highsmith missed most of last season after undergoing surgery on a torn meniscus in his right knee last August and suffering a setback in his rehab in October. He signed a two-year, minimum-salary contract with Phoenix in February and appeared in seven regular season games and two playoff contests.

Highsmith is likely getting another minimum-salary deal, which would pay him $3.1MM and carry a cap hit of $2.45MM. The details of his new deal aren’t yet known, but if it’s non-guaranteed and includes Exhibit 9 language, it won’t count against the salary cap unless he makes the regular season roster.

Highsmith was an effective three-and-D rotation player and a part-time starter during his four years in Miami. He averaged 6.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in 22.7 minutes per game during his final two seasons with the Heat from 2023-25. He posted a shooting line of .461/.388/.684 and played in 140 regular season contests (68 starts) during that stretch.