Miami traded Haywood Highsmith and a 2032 second-round pick to Brooklyn while taking back no salary, which reduced tax exposure and created room to sign Dru Smith. Brooklyn can hold Highsmith during his meniscus recovery and may flip him later for value. Miami could have traded Highsmith directly or waited until the end of the league year to adjust its tax position without surrendering the pick. The move cost a future draft asset and diminished trade flexibility for a team that now lacks second-round picks. Small-margin decisions like this can have lasting strategic consequences.
Make no mistake, the move was questionable, as well as confusing, in real-time. It looks even worse following a report from J ake Fischer of The Stein Line that "Brooklyn's phone certainly figures to ring with interest in Highsmith" down the line. This yet again raises a simple yet salient question: Why did Miami not just trade him, but treat him like a negative asset?
Jettisoning Highsmith without taking back any money allowed the Heat to duck the tax, and bring back Dru Smith on a new deal. Even if that was always the endgame, it still doesn't explain why they needed to include a 2032 second-round pick. Yes, Highsmith is recovering from surgery to repair a tear in his right meniscus. But the Nets aren't trying to win anyway.
These moves on the margins matter Feel free to take the "It's a second-round kick, so what?" stance if you're so inclined. These decisions matter-especially for the Heat, who no longer have any second-round picks to trade. Waiting would have cost them nothing. Worst-case scenario, they make this exact same trade with the Nets or another squad with an exception closer to
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