\u201cFree agent forward Haywood Highsmith has agreed to a multiyear deal with the Phoenix Suns, his agent Jerry Dianis tells ESPN,\u201d Charania tweeted late this afternoon. \u201cHighsmith considered multiple playoff teams before reaching an agreement with the Suns.\u201d<\/p>\n
Haywood has yet to appear in a game this season as he has been recuperating from meniscus surgery in August. However, the 29-year-old forward is now healthy and has been partaking in 5-on-5 drills before being released by the Nets.<\/p>\n
Haywood is known as a gritty two-way forward who can make a huge impact despite not being much of an offensive threat.\u00a0 His value lies in his consistency and defensive versatility. He can guard all five positions on the switch and brings a physical presence.<\/p>\n
Haywood has improved each year. Haywood averages 5.4 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists for his career. He also averages one three-pointer per game, shooting 44.9\/37.4\/60.5.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, Suns kind of player they value what he can bring to the team,\u201d Suns Insider John Gambino tweeted.<\/a> \u201cNext year is not fully guaranteed. Suns wanted him, and if he plays well, they can have him for next year as well.\u201d<\/p>\n With Haywood\u2019s addition, Phoenix has 15 players on standard contracts, though they should still be under the tax line because Haywood is receiving the prorated veteran minimum.\u00a0 The Suns were $2.4 million below the tax line before inking Haywood.<\/p>\n However, Cole Anthony<\/a>, whom\u00a0the Suns acquired at the trade deadline along with Amir Coffey<\/a>, has yet to report. It is possible that Anthony may not report and be bought out.\u00a0 The Suns also have all three of their two-way spots filled.<\/p>\n With Haywood holding a nonguaranteed pact for 2026-27, the Suns now have 10 players under contract. The Suns project to be well over the cap, though they are still around $18 million below the luxury tax line with four or five players to add. However, Mark Williams<\/a> will be a restricted free agent.<\/p>\n How Does Haywood Highsmith Fit Withthe Suns and How Does His Addition Affect Jordan Ott\u2019s Rotation?<\/p>\n Phoenix sits in seventh place in the Western Conference at 32-23. The Suns, who have lost six of their last 11, are just four victories short of tying their total from last season. The Suns rank 14th in offensive rating and 11th in defensive rating.<\/p>\n Highsmith is projected to be a major part of Jordan Ott\u2019<\/a>s rotation, averaging 18-22 minutes per game.\u00a0 Hughsmith figures to back up starter Royce O\u2019Neale<\/a> and likely play at small forward. He will likely take the Suns\u2019 opponent\u2019s best wing and forward. In addition, he will allow the Suns to play fast and be disruptive defensively.<\/p>\n Phoenix begins the second half of the season at San Antonio on February 19. The Suns then play four straight at home and seven of their first nine games overall.<\/p>\n The Suns should be close to 100% after the All-Star break, with Devin Booker<\/a> and Jalen Green<\/a> expected to be healthy. Ott will likely start Collin Gillespie<\/a>, Dillon Brooks<\/a>, Williams, Booker, and O\u2019Neale against the Spurs.\u00a0 The Suns are 14-7 in games when those who gave have started this year.<\/p>\n Grayson Allen<\/a>, who will be reevaluated after the All-Star break, will be the Suns\u2019 sixth man when he is healthy. Coffey, Green, Highsmith, and Iso Ighodaro will likely round out the Suns\u2019 second unit. Ryan Dunn<\/a> should get some extended run until Allen can return.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cFree agent forward Haywood Highsmith has agreed to a multiyear deal with the Phoenix Suns, his agent Jerry…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":603836,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3791],"tags":[7,2292,2293,861,3991,1011,6,2065,472,4045,604],"class_list":{"0":"post-603835","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-phoenix-suns","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-devin-booker","10":"tag-haywood-highsmith","11":"tag-jalen-green","12":"tag-jordan-ott","13":"tag-mark-williams","14":"tag-nba","15":"tag-phoenix","16":"tag-phoenix-suns","17":"tag-phoenixsuns","18":"tag-suns"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116072357974029716","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/603835","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=603835"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/603835\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/603836"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=603835"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=603835"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=603835"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}