The Miami Heat just dumped Haywood Highsmith to the Brooklyn Nets, giving the Los Angeles Lakers a perfect trade target to go after. Highsmith’s 3-and-D game would be a perfect fit next to Luka Doncic as the Lakers look to pair him with players who help his style of play.
Highsmith has been a solid player for the Heat for the last four years. He began his career with the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2018-19 season but ended up playing overseas afterward. Since then, he’s found new life with the Heat and will now be looking for his next NBA home.
The Lakers should absolutely be interested in bringing him to LA.
Why would Haywood Highsmith help Luka Doncic?
In order to effectively build a team around Doncic, a few things are required. A rim-running big man is preferred, much like Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford on the Dallas Mavericks. Deandre Ayton can play that role for the Lakers.
An additional, high-level ball-handler is crucial. Kyrie Irving played that role in Dallas, and LeBron James and Austin Reaves are more than capable of doing it in LA.
Past that, it comes down to two things: Three-point shooting and defense. Surrounding Doncic with as much floor spacing and defensive help as possible is an essential piece of the puzzle.
This is the reason the Lakers added Dorian Finney-Smith last season. It’s why Rui Hachimura works for them. But they don’t have enough 3-and-D players just yet. That’s where Highsmith comes into play.
The Nets are tanking this year. That much is painfully obvious. They added Highsmith for basically nothing, as the Heat were looking to save some money. Now, they could look to trade him at or before the deadline for draft capital. Perhaps they would even consider moving him before the season begins.
Highsmith only makes $5.6 million, and he’s on an expiring contract. That’s a pretty easy deal to trade for. The Lakers could make something happen fairly easily.
Adding his three-point shooting and defensive pressure would be absolutely perfect, giving JJ Redick an ideal rotation piece to surround Doncic with as much help as possible.
Having that type of guy in the lineup would be ideal, and considering the price likely won’t be too expensive, the Lakers should absolutely be keeping a close eye on Highsmith in the trade market.
If there’s a deal to be done, they should pounce, and the Heat’s desire to save money could result in a huge Lakers victory.