When the Miami Heat lost Caleb Martin in free agency to the Philadelphia 76ers, it sort of forced the front office's hands in the second wave of free agency.
Sure, the team could have swung a massive deal for a high-profile player, sign-and-trading for one of the players they've been connected to like Tyus Jones but instead, they stuck to their guns and gave their other 3-and-D swing forward, Haywood Highsmith, a two-year, $11 million contract to stick around as a top-8 wing with 3-and-D upside to go alongside free agency addition Alex Burks plus returning bigs Thomas Bryant and Kevin Love.
Standing 6-foot-7, 220 pounds with long arms and sneaky athleticism, Highsmith looks like he was built in a lab to be the modern-day prototype of the 3-and-D wing. He hit 39.6 percent of his 3-pointers last season, albeit on relatively low volume, and was able to take on top defensive matchups up and down the lineup for the Heat last season, guarding a shooting guard one game and a power forward the next.
Sure, Highsmith isn't nearly as accomplished as Martin on the offensive end of the court, and doesn't have the sort of playoff-proven resume that made the Sixers' new forward into a folk hero in South Beach, but what he lacks in proven offensive prowess he more than makes up for in two-way ability, which, considering the way the Heat's roster is built at the moment, is a sneaky big need outside of the very top of the rotation.
Can Highsmith take enough of a step forward to become a starter this fall? Can his two-way ability help to keep him on the court late in games when a player like, say, Duncan Robinson would become unplayable because of his defensive limitations? Only time will tell, but considering a Martin return was simply off the board, bringing back Highsmith on a surprisingly team-friendly contract will go down as one of the better deals signed this summer, even if it came out of necessity instead of strategy.
Haywood Highsmith believes he can contribute to Heat culture
Speaking with ClutchPoints' own Zachary Weinberger about what it was like to hit free agency, check out the open market, and ultimately return to the Heat on a new two-year, $11 million contract, Highsmith celebrated the ability to return to the Heat, as he is satisfied with his new deal.
“I think the contract I got now with the Heat, I’m really satisfied with it. I think we still got more in the tank, for sure. So I’m just going to keep pushing. It’s been a bit of a journey, a bit of a process. I’m glad to be back,” Haywood Highsmith told ClutchPoints.
“This is my first time being a real free agent, so we just took it day by day. There were multiple calls, multiple meetings, talking about different things. It’s been a process. It’s new rules with the CBA. So a lot of things are going on. It’s just been a process, an up-and-down roller-coaster. But the contract I’ve got now with the Heat, I’m satisfied with it.”
Discussing his deal and what it means for his future, Highsmith celebrated Miami for taking a chance on his and rewarding him for his efforts a few years into the future, noting that he will use it as fuel to develop further.
“The Heat have just invested in me, and I appreciate them. They took a chance on a Division II kid, and I couldn’t be more grateful,” Highsmith noted.
“I’m going to be myself. I’m not going to try to fill nobody’s shoes. I know the type of player I am in this league. I’m a defender, tough guy, can make open shots, make threes, and I’m a good shooter, and I’m going to play the right way, play hard, and do whatever it takes to win.”
Why, you may ask, is this relevant? Well, because Highsmith has the exact right mindset to become after a few tense weeks of negotiations with the Heat and beyond. While fans may compare Highsmith to Martin and want the former to step up to the latter's level in order to “fill his shoes,” if the Wheeling product just continues to do his job, shoot his shots, and continue to progress into the future, it's safe to say the 27-year-old will remain an important part of the Heat's plans, rotation and culture well into the future, potentially even beyond the two-year constraints of his current contract.
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