Why the Brooklyn Nets Traded for Haywood Highsmith

The Brooklyn Nets surprisingly made headlines on Friday when they struck a deal with the Miami Heat for Haywood Highsmith. The move came as a surprise for multiple reasons, including but not limited to the Nets' timeline and ongoing contract dispute with Cam Thomas.

Highsmith, 28, instantly becomes Brooklyn's oldest player alongside Terance Mann, who is also 28 years old. His addition places an interesting situation in the hands of head coach Jordi Fernandez, who now has to decide whether to play his young, inexperienced guys, or multiple veterans who realistically should be on contending teams.

The Nets are in no position to contend next season, and since Highsmith's current contract expires at the end of the 2025-26 campaign, he could be a prime candidate to be moved at February's trade deadline.

Outside of the unmistakable question mark surrounding an impact veteran joining a rebuilding squad, Brooklyn's personnel is also a bit murky. Highsmith becomes the Nets' 18th player on a guaranteed contract. They're only allowed to have 15 at the start of the regular season. That means three players will either have to be traded, waived or outright cut, likely forcing Fernandez to cut ties with multiple players whom were part of his rotation last season.

But the roster issues don't end with the guaranteed contracts. Those rules strictly apply to opening night. Before then, the Nets will go through training camp. They're only allowed to carry 21 players into camp, a threshold Brooklyn has now hit with the addition of Highsmith.

Typically, this would be a non-issue. The Nets would utilize training camp to evaluate their talent and make the appropriate moves when the time comes. However, Thomas remains unsigned. There's yet to be any indication that the two sides are progressing toward a resolution, and all signs currently point to Thomas spending next season on the qualifying offer. Still, he would need an active roster spot upon accepting said qualifying offer.

With all of this in mind, why did Brooklyn agree to the deal?

Well, because it essentially gave up nothing for Highsmith. The pick the Nets sent to Miami is a second-rounder, protected 31-55. So unless Brooklyn ends up being one of the five best teams in basketball next year, that pick won't be conveying to the Heat.

It's a low-risk, high-reward deal. Maybe Highsmith never cracks the rotation. Maybe he becomes the team's most impactful veteran. Maybe he does crack the rotation, and plays so well that he fetches some future draft capital at the deadline.

There are so many possible scenarios, none of which negatively impact the Nets long-term. That's why they made this move.