MIAMI - In a move that takes the team below the punitive NBA luxury tax, the Miami Heat have traded forward Haywood Highsmith and a 2032 second-round draft choice to the Brooklyn Nets.

With the Nets currently operating $22.5 million below the 2025-26 NBA salary cap and able to take on salary, the Heat in return received only a conditional 2026 second-round pick, one that is not expected to convey due to the restrictions attached. The pick from the Nets to the Heat conveys only if Brooklyn finishes with one of the five best records in the NBA this coming season.

While Highsmith, 28, has stood as a reliable defensive presence for the Heat, he currently is recovering from recent knee surgery that could have him out for the start of the season. In addition, he is an impending 2026 free agent

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