The Miami Heat have retained the service of their best defensive stopper off the bench after signing Haywood Highsmith to a two-year, $11 million deal, NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Monday.
The 27-year-old Highsmith will stay with the team that discovered and developed him into an NBA-caliber player. After going undrafted in the 2018 NBA Draft, the former Wheeling University standout played basketball overseas and then spent several seasons in the G-League.
After bouncing around in the developmental league, Highsmith landed his first 10-day contract with the Heat in 2021. He had another brief stint with Delaware Bluecoats and a pair of 10-day deals in 2022 before he finally signed a multi-year deal with the Heat in February 2022.
Highsmith eventually received solid minutes off the bench, making his presence felt on the defensive end of the floor. Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra often utilized him as a defensive stopper to cover the opposing team’s best perimeter player whenever Jimmy Butler took a breather or was unavailable to play.
Highsmith averaged 6.1 points and 3.2 rebounds in a career-high 20.7 minutes per game during the 2023-24 season. He has also become a reliable three-point shooter for the Heat last season, making 39% from the three-point territory.
The Heat, a franchise recognized for some of the biggest free-agency coups in the NBA, hasn’t made a meaningful move this offseason, despite roster upgrades by Eastern Conference rivals such as the Philadelphia Sixers, New York Knicks, and Boston Celtics.
To make matters worse, the Heat lost their best off-the-bench scorer, Caleb Martin, who signed with the Sixers this week.
