Heat reportedly miss out on $15M reunion with former fan favorite, amid disappointing free agency | Sporting News
The Sporting News · Hunter Cookston · 2026-08-17T16:01:57+00:00 · nguồn gốc
The Miami Heat started the offseason with a bang by trading for former Milwaukee Bucks franchise superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo. The move gave fans plenty of excitement, especially after Miami immediately entered the pursuit of four-time NBA champion LeBron James.
The Heat ultimately missed out on James, and that has become a recurring theme for the organization, as Miami has failed to land several of the players it has targeted. Most recently, the Heat missed out on Bradley Beal.
“Free agent guard Bradley Beal has agreed to a two-year, $13.2 million deal to return to the LA Clippers, his representative, Mark Bartelstein of Priority Sports, told ESPN on Thursday night. The deal includes a player option in the second season," ESPN's Shams Charania wrote.
Even after missing out on Beal, the Heat still had several names they could pursue in an effort to strengthen the roster. With Beal off the board, Sun Sentinel’s Ira Winderman mentioned a few of Miami’s remaining targets, including Haywood Highsmith.
“Well, so much for that. So now Klay Thompson, DeMar DeRozan or bust for the Heat? (Or a Haywood Highsmith-Gabe Vincent consolation package,” Winderman posted.
This showed that Miami still had several options despite missing out on some of the biggest names available this offseason. However, that list became even shorter Monday morning when the Phoenix Suns re-signed Highsmith.
“The Phoenix Suns are re-signing Haywood Highsmith to a deal, league sources told hoopshype,” HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto wrote.
Highsmith would have been more of a role player for Miami, but he remains a fan favorite after helping the Heat reach the NBA Finals in 2023. Now, Miami has missed out on yet another potential target, making its remaining options even more limited.
Highsmith has made $15 million throughout his career. Aside from acquiring Antetokounmpo, this offseason has been frustrating for Miami, to say the least. There is still time to salvage the summer, but missing out on a reunion that would have excited the fan base is another disappointing development for the Heat.
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