Suns Waive Haywood Highsmith

Highsmith, 29, missed a significant portion of the 2025/26 season after he underwent surgery on a torn meniscus in his right knee last August and experienced a setback in his rehab in October. He eventually signed a two-year, minimum-salary contract with the Suns in February and appeared in seven regular season games and two playoff games for the team.

A quality three-and-D rotation player in Miami, Highsmith 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.

Highsmith’s $3,018,158 expiring contract for 2026/27 wasn’t fully guaranteed, but it did feature a $1MM partial guarantee, so the Suns will be on the hook for that money unless the swingman is claimed on waivers.

The transaction will move the Suns approximately $6.9MM below their second-apron hard cap and will leave the team with 14 players on standard contracts. It will also reduce Phoenix’s projected luxury tax bill by more than $11MM, from about $61.2MM to $50.1MM, though that number will rise again if the club signs a new 15th man.