Heat are under the tax line.

Haywood Highsmith and a 2032 second rounder are being traded to Brooklyn for a conditional 2026 second rounder, source tells AP.

Highsmith had knee surgery a few days ago and is likely to need until sometime in October before he is full-go again.

— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) August 15, 2025

Brooklyn Nets forward Haywood Highsmith was acquired from the Miami Heat along with a 2032 second-round pick on Friday in exchange for a Nets 2026 second-round pick that is unlikely to convey. While Brooklyn is getting a player in Highsmith that can fulfill the 3-and-D role that head coach Jordi Fernandez covets, the former undrafted free-agent is unlikely to be ready for the start of training camp in the fall.

“Highsmith had knee surgery a few days ago and is likely to need until sometime in October before he is full-go again,” Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press wrote on X following the news of the trade. The Heat announced Aug. 8 on X that Highsmith “underwent successful surgery this morning to repair a meniscal tear in his right knee which he suffered while training in Baltimore.”

Miami continued their announcement by saying “He will begin rehabilitation immediately and is expected to miss eight-to-10 weeks.” Assuming that eight to ten weeks is from the day of the Heat’s announcement, Highsmith would be expected to be ready by Oct. 3 at the earliest and Oct. 17 at the latest. Due to the Nets playing two games in China in the preseason against the Phoenix Suns, Brooklyn will begin training camp on Sep. 24.

Highsmith, 28, is coming off a 2024-25 season in which he averaged 6.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game while shooting 45.8% from the field and 38.2% from three-point land. Highsmith has just one year left on his current contract for $5.61 million so the Nets could either keep him through the end of the season to free up that salary slot or potentially deal him at the trade deadline.

As of this writing, Brooklyn is up to 21 players on the roster, including the reported signings of guard Fanbo Zeng, forwards Ziaire Williams and Ricky Council IV, and center Day’Ron Sharpe. Assuming that guard Cam Thomas re-signs with the Nets at some point before the start of the regular season, Brooklyn will be up to 22 players on the team, meaning that a few cuts will have to be made over the course of camp.

INJURY UPDATE: Haywood Highsmith underwent successful surgery this morning to repair a meniscal tear in his right knee which he suffered while training in Baltimore. He will begin rehabilitation immediately and is expected to miss eight-to-10 weeks.

— Miami HEAT (@MiamiHEAT) August 8, 2025