At 46-36, the Miami Heat finished eighth in the Eastern Conference in 2023-24. The team had to compete in the play-in tournament to secure one of the final playoff spots. Philadelphia got the seventh seed and Miami got the eighth. Bam Adebayo and the Heat had a tough matchup vs. the Celtics in the first round.
They lost in five games and did not have the same playoff success they enjoyed in 2023. This offseason, the Heat lost forward Caleb Martin to the 76ers in free agency. With that, Miami had no choice but to sign Haywood Highsmith to a two-year, $11 million extension. The Heat need the depth he provides to the team at forward.
Haywood Highsmith could have a career-best season in 2024-25
Free agent Haywood Highsmith has agreed on a two-year, $11 million deal to return to the Miami Heat, his agent Jerry Dianis tells ESPN. Highsmith had significant interest around the league but stays with franchise that developed him into an NBA player. pic.twitter.com/dcyzwZNZui
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 8, 2024
To start his NBA career, the 27-year-old went undrafted in 2018 out of Wheeling University. Eventually, he signed a two-way contract and got his start with the 76ers. Highsmith played in five games for the Sixers in 2018-19. Over his next two seasons, Highsmith went overseas to play in other professional leagues. Ahead of the 2021-22 season, he signed a three-year, $3.9 million deal with the Heat. During his first season with Miami, Highsmith played in 19 games and made one start.
It wasn’t until the 2022-23 season that he started to see regular minutes in the rotation from head coach Erik Spoelstra. In 2023-24, Highsmith played in a career-high 66 games and made 26 starts. Additionally, his (6.1) minutes and (20.7) minutes per game were the best of his career. This past season, Highsmith shot a career-best (.396) percent from beyond the arc, taking (2.9) threes per game.
Heat needed defense and bring back Haywood Highsmith for a steal of a price.
Two-years, $11M deal 🔥 pic.twitter.com/zbUZtg2eGU
— 𝙃𝙀𝘼𝙏 𝙉𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉 (@HeatvsHaters) July 8, 2024
With Caleb Martin in Philadelphia now, Haywood Highsmith could see his role increase even larger in 2024-25. Martin played (27.3) minutes per game in 2023-24. His playing time is going to need to be replaced somewhere. Haywood Highsmith has the chance to earn even more trust from his head coach. Highsmith has proved to be a quality defender with Miami who’s also provided scoring off the bench, We’ll see what the 27-year-old can do in his fourth season with the Heat.
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