The Miami Heat puzzlingly decided to move on from Haywood Highsmith earlier in the offseason, sending him on his merry way to the Brooklyn Nets. Upon his acquisition, there was an immediate expectation that Highsmith and the Nets would not be a long-term fit.
That expectations remains the same today. Brian Lewis of the New York Post made it abundantly clear that the recently-acquired forward is unlikely to remain with the Nets after the deadline in early February.
Lewis wrote, "It’s also almost impossible to see a world where he’s in Brooklyn past the trade deadline, much less next summer…Some contender will surely be looking to add in February. A wing defender on a $5.6 million expiring deal could look pretty good.”
The contender in question here could very easily be the Los Angeles Lakers. Rob Pelinka's desire to add a two-way wing has been made abundantly clear with reports from Marc Stein and Dan Woike confirming the matter.
Haywood Highsmith fits exact mold of trade target Lakers are hunting
Trading Highsmith away for merely a protected second-round pick was a head-scratching decision. The mold of player that the former Heat forward is fits any team looking to make a championship push.
Granted, Miami is not exactly in that position. They are stuck in the middle of the Eastern Conference. The Heat are not quite good enough to compete for a championship, but not really bad enough to bottom out and tank for the lottery.
Their 2025-26 season should be more of the same. They will loom as a team that will not be an easy matchup on any given night, but the expectations for what they can accomplish will be modest, at best.
The Lakers, on the other hand, want to capitalize on having two of the NBA's top talents. The duo of Luka Doncic and LeBron James gives any team they are a part of a fair crack at winning a championship, with the right support.
Highsmith would qualify as that type of help. The former Heat forward averaged 6.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 0.9 steals, and 0.5 blocks in 24.6 minutes per game during the 2024-25 season. Highsmith shot 45.8 percent from the field and 38.2 percent from beyond the arc, starting 42 games for Miami.
Based on what it took for the Nets to acquire him, it should not cost too much to secure the services of the 28-year-old at the NBA trade deadline. Granted, there may be more competition for Highsmith then, leading to a slight uptick in the price.
Still, it should be one worth paying for a Lakers team looking to fill holes on the roster. The opportunity to land a quality role player and boost the rotation should not be overlooked.