Latest news with #Highsmith
USA Today
11 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Nets jersey numbers for Nolan Traore, Danny Wolf, Haywood Highsmith
The Brooklyn Nets have a little over one month before their 2024-25 NBA season begins with Media Day on Sep. 23 and plenty can happen between now and then. Brooklyn will have some roster decisions to make prior to the beginning of the upcoming regular season, but some of the new additions have decided what numbers they will be wearing. Per Etienne Catalan of guard Nolan Traore, forward Danny Wolf, and forward Haywood Highsmith have picked out their numbers for the 2025-26 campaign. Traore will be switching his number from No. 19 to No. 88, a number that has never been worn in Nets history. Wolf will be switching from No. 18 to No. 2, the number that forward Cam Johnson wore during his tenure with Brooklyn. Highsmith, who the Nets recently acquired from the Miami Heat via trade, will be wearing No. 7, a number that was last worn by guard Killian Hayes last season during his brief stint with the club. Highsmith wore No. 24 during his time with the Heat, but he did wear No. 7 when he played for the Philadelphia 76ers during the 2018-19 season, his first campaign in the NBA. Traore, who the Nets took with the 19th overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, will be competing with Egor Demin, the eighth overall pick in the same draft, for the starting point guard spot this season. Wolf, the 27th overall pick in the 2025 Draft, could be vying with Noah Clowney for the starting power forward position, assuming that Michael Porter Jr. is slotting in as the starting small forward for head coach Jordi Fernandez. Highsmith, who the Nets acquired from the Heat along with a 2032 second-round pick, will be competing with Brooklyn's depth at the wing with the aforementioned Porter along with players like Ziaire Williams and Terance Mann. There's still enough time between now and when training camp begins for players to change their mind on their jersey numbers and a couple of them have already done so.
USA Today
2 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Writer urges Lakers to go after recently traded 3-and-D forward
If the Los Angeles Lakers are going to make the jump from a playoff team to a championship-caliber team, one thing they may have to do is obtain a better backup center. But an even bigger need for them is at least one 3-and-D player. Jake LaRavia, a sharpshooting 23-year-old forward they signed as a free agent this summer, could become at least somewhat of a 3-and-D player, depending on how much he improves as a one-on-one defender. But other than that, the Lakers have a number of one-way players. This past Friday, the Miami Heat sent forward Haywood Highsmith to the Brooklyn Nets in a salary-dumping move. With the Nets going nowhere fast, Jack Simone of Lake Show Life urged the Lakers to make a move for Highsmith in order to obtain one of those needed 3-and-D contributors. "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," Simone wrote. "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." Highsmith is listed at 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, but he can play both the 3 and 4 spots. He isn't a scoring threat, but he made 38.2% of his 3.1 3-point attempts in 24.6 minutes a game last season. He reportedly has a wingspan of seven feet, which gives him the ability to play defense at a relatively high level. He was a contributor off the bench, albeit in somewhat limited playing time, when the Miami Heat reached the NBA Finals in 2023. The 28-year-old will make $5.6 million this season and will be a free agent next summer, which means that he may not only be relatively inexpensive, but he also wouldn't interfere with L.A.'s apparent goal to have maximum salary cap space available during the next two offseasons.
Miami Herald
3 days ago
- Business
- Miami Herald
After trade of Highsmith and signing of Smith, where do things stand for Heat's roster?
After being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs in each of the last two seasons and finishing last regular season with a losing record for just the sixth time in team president Pat Riley's 30 seasons with the organization, the Miami Heat continued to shake up its roster last week. First on Friday, the Heat traded forward Haywood Highsmith and a 2032 second-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets for a heavily protected 2026 second-round selection in a move that shed enough salary to bring Miami out of luxury-tax territory. Then on Saturday, the Heat used its newfound room under the luxury tax to retain guard Dru Smith on a three-year contract worth $7.9 million. Only Smith's first-year salary of $2.4 million is fully guaranteed, with the second and third years of the deal including conditional guarantees. Following the trade of Highsmith and the signing of Smith, the Heat has 14 players on standard contracts for this upcoming season — one below the NBA regular-season limit of 15 players on standard deals. The Heat also currently stands about $1.7 million under the luxury-tax threshold and about $7.2 million below the punitive first apron of $195.9 million that it can't cross until the end of this upcoming season following last month's trade for guard Norman Powell. After finishing as a luxury tax team in each of the past two seasons, the Heat was determined to escape the luxury tax for this upcoming season in order to avoid the onerous repeater tax that's triggered when a team crosses the luxury-tax threshold in four straight seasons or four times during a five-season period. With the Heat six weeks from opening training camp on Sept. 30 at Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton, here's an explainer on where things stand for Miami's roster ... Q: Can the Heat fill the 15th spot on its standard roster before the season without crossing the luxury tax line? A: No, the Heat doesn't currently have enough space under the luxury tax threshold to add a 15th player to a standard contract before the start of the season while still avoiding the tax. With the Heat just about $1.7 million below the luxury tax line, Miami would need to wait until early December to sign a 15th player to a prorated standard minimum deal that would keep it out of tax territory unless a move is made to change the salary-cap math. Q: What can the Heat do to create enough room under the luxury tax to add another player to a standard deal before the start of the season? A: A trade to shed salary (like the one the Heat pulled off involving Highsmith last week) would work. But a trade isn't the only way, as the Heat can also use the waive-and-stretch provision on a player such as Rozier to create more room below the luxury tax. Waiving and stretching Rozier would lower his cap hit from $26.6 million this upcoming season to about $8.3 million over each of the next three seasons, but the downside of that would be that he would go from an expiring salary to one that would be on Miami's books for the next three years, albeit on a smaller number. The deadline to waive and stretch a player is Aug. 29. The Heat could also just waive Rozier and create an additional $1.7 million of room below the tax line because only $24.9 million of Rozier's $26.6 million salary for this upcoming season is currently guaranteed. This would give Miami enough space under the luxury tax threshold to add another player to a standard contract before the start of the season. Q: Can the Heat just begin the season with only 14 players on standard contracts instead of the NBA regular-season limit of 15 players on standard deals? A: Yes, NBA teams are allowed to carry 14 players on standard contracts during the regular season. NBA rules only prohibit teams from carrying fewer than 14 players on its standard roster for more than two consecutive weeks at a time and a total of 28 days during the regular season. But there is one disadvantage that comes with having just 14 players on standard deals, as those NBA teams' three two-way contract players can only be on the active list for no more than 90 NBA games combined. However, if the Heat signs a 15th player at any point during the season, that number moves from 90 to 150 NBA games. Q: Where does the Heat's roster stand right now? A: Following Friday's trade, the Heat's preseason roster currently includes 17 players signed to contracts (including two-way contracts and Exhibit 10 deals). The 14 players signed by the Heat to standard contracts for next season are Bam Adebayo, Tyler Herro, Andrew Wiggins, Rozier, Powell, Davion Mitchell, Simone Fontecchio, Nikola Jovic, Kel'el Ware, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Kasparas Jakucionis, Pelle Larsson, Smith and Keshad Johnson. The Heat's two-way contract players are forward Myron Gardner and center Vlad Goldin, with the third two-way slot still open to sign another developmental prospect. Two-way contracts, which pay half the NBA rookie minimum and do not count toward the salary cap or luxury tax, allow for players to be on their NBA team's active list for as many as 50 regular-season games with other game action having to come in the G League. The only player the Heat currently has signed to an Exhibit 10 contract is guard Ethan Thompson. Exhibit 10 deals essentially represent an invite to training camp and provide a financial incentive for that player to join the organization's G League affiliate. While 18 players (15 on standard contracts and three on two-way contracts) is the regular-season limit, NBA teams are allowed to carry up to 21 players during the offseason and preseason (including up to three two-way contract players). Q: With the Heat so thin at center, what are Miami's options to bolster its depth at that position? A: The only centers on the Heat's current standard roster are Adebayo and Ware, and there's a real chance both are in the starting lineup to begin the season. Yes, the Heat could stagger their minutes to use them as their two centers throughout most games. But what if there's an injury or foul trouble? Goldin, an undrafted rookie who stands at 7-foot-1 and 250 pounds, is the Heat's third center, but he's on a two-way deal. Goldin brings size, but he's also inexperienced and unproven in the NBA. To add more depth, the Heat could use its one open two-way contract slot to sign another big man. Only players with fewer than four years of NBA experience are eligible for two-way deals The Heat could also make a trade, waive and stretch a player or waive Rozier to change the salary-cap math and create enough room under the luxury tax line to add another center on a standard contract. Among the bigs still available in free agency are Kai Jones (who worked out for the Heat last week), Trey Lyles, Precious Achiuwa and Thomas Bryant.
USA Today
4 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Who is Nets forward Haywood Highsmith? Get to know Brooklyn's addition
Brooklyn Nets forward Haywood Highsmith was acquired via trade from the Miami Heat on Friday along with Miami's 2032 second-round pick in exchange for Brooklyn's 2026 second-round pick. Given where Brooklyn is as a rebuilding team, along with the Nets' second-round pick in 2026 being protected from the 31st overall pick to the 55th pick, it seems that Brooklyn is unlikely to give up a second-round pick at all. Be that as it may, the Nets have ultimately brought in a player in Highsmith that has had an interesting journey in his professional basketball career after leaving Wheeling University. Highsmith, born in Baltimore, Maryland, played his high school basketball in Baltimore before embarking on a college basketball career at Wheeling that showed what he could do at a higher level. Highsmith's time at Wheeling saw him accomplish great feats on the hardwood as he was a two-time All-MEC (Mountain East Conference) winner, MEC Player of the Year, and First-Team Division II All-American during his senior year. After a successful college basketball career at the Division II level, Highsmith entered the 2018 NBA Draft where he went on to go undrafted before catching on with the Delaware Blue Coats of the NBA G League. Highsmith signed a Two-Way contract with the Philadelphia 76ers in January of the 2018-19 season, but spent most of his time playing for the 76ers' G League afiliate in the Blue Coats. Highsmith spent the 2019-20 campaign with the Blue Coats, but used the 2020-21 season to see if he could realize his professional basketball dreams elsewhere by playing overseas for the Crailsheim Merlins in Germany. During the 2021-22 season, Highsmith caught his first big break in the NBA after signing a 10-day contract with the Heat in February of that season. Highsmith played well enough to earn two more 10-day deals with Miami before eventually signing a rest-of-season contract that became a three-year, $3.9 million deal that took him through the 2023-24 campaign. In his four seasons with the Heat, Highsmith averaged 5.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game while shooting 44.9% from the field and 37.5% from three-point land. Highsmith is coming off arguably his best season in Miami after averaging 6.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per contest while shooting 45.8% from the floor and 38.2% from deep. What stands out the most about Highsmith's game is his ability on the defensive end of the floor to guard perimeter players and make life tough for even some of the league's best players. There are enough defensive highlights for Highsmith that someone was able to put together a nearly six-minute video of some of his best possessions during the 2024-25 campaign alone. Highsmith, 28, joins a Nets team with plenty of young players on the roster and the former Wheeling Cardinal has the chance to bring his experience and defensive tenacity to head coach Jordi Fernandez's roster. Highsmith has one year left on his current contract and will be owed $5.6 million over the course of the 2025-26 season so Brooklyn found a way to get another 3-and-D wing at a value.
Yahoo
13-08-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Steelers' Alex Highsmith provides update on groin injury sustained at training camp
The Steelers received a positive injury update regarding one of the NFL's most efficient pass rushers — OLB Alex Highsmith. On Tuesday, Highsmith addressed his groin injury while appearing on Randy Baumann and the DVE Morning Show — sharing some insight as to when he might be ready to return. "Feeling great," Highsmith said. "We're gonna be back in action here soon. Just been taking it day by day, but it wasn't too bad of an injury, just a minor tweak. I'm feeling really good.' Highsmith has dealt with a few groin injuries throughout the course of his career — including one that forced him to miss three games last season. This is exactly the type of positivity Steelers fans are looking for less than 30 days out from the regular season kickoff — with all signs pointing toward Highsmith being more than ready for the Steelers' Week 1 matchup versus the New York Jets. For up-to-date Steelers coverage, follow us on X @TheSteelersWire and give our Facebook page a like. This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Steelers' Alex Highsmith provides positive update on groin injury
