The Miami Heat just sent Haywood Highsmith to the Brooklyn Nets in an effective salary dump, and now, the New York Knicks have a perfect trade target to go after. Adding Highsmith to Mike Brown’s rotation would give the Knicks a perfect piece to place alongside Jalen Brunson and the rest of their lineup.
Anytime a contending team can add more three-point shooting or defense, it’s a win, and Highsmith would bring both of those skills to the Knicks’ lineup. The only question left to answer is, ‘How can the Knicks trade for Highsmith this season without breaking the bank?’
Well, that part is a bit easier than some might expect.
How can the Knicks trade for Haywood Highsmith?
The Knicks don’t have a ton of flexibility in terms of trades. They have a lot of money on the books committed to their top players. Brunson, Karl-Anthony Towns, OG Anunoby, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart are all making a lot of money.
Because of that, they’re going to need to find cheap ways to improve the roster around them. Signing Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele in free agency was a great start, but if the Knicks want to continue to improve, trading Highsmith would be a nice start.
Next season, Highsmith is only slated to make roughly $5.6 million, making his contract a fairly easy one to match in a deal. New York could get there with a couple of minimum contracts.
The Nets took him on (basically) for free in a deal with the Heat, as Miami wanted to shed some salary. Now, since the Nets are entering a rebuilding season, they could look to flip Highsmith for picks.
That’s where the Knicks come into play. If the price is merely a second-round pick or two, Highsmith could be a very worthwhile trade target for New York to pursue.
Right now, New York’s bench unit doesn’t have much depth at the wing or forward positions. Yabusele can play some four, and they could bring Hart off the pine for Mitchell Robinson if they wanted to.
However, Highsmith would give Brown some much-needed depth at the forward position, which would be especially useful since he likely won’t play Anunoby, Hart, and Bridges nearly as many minutes as Tom Thibodeau did.
With Thibodeau gone, the Knicks probably need more depth than they have in recent years, and adding Highsmith in a trade would seriously help with that next season.