Miami Heat: Haywood Highsmith became trade-eligible on Jan. 15

No, Jimmy Butler has not been traded yet, as we are roughly three weeks out from the Feb. 6 deadline. One Heat player who signed last offseason became eligible to be moved Wednesday: Forward Haywood Highsmith.

As you may recall, two Heat players became eligible to be moved on Dec. 15–as well as over 80 other players–in veterans Kevin Love and Alec Burks.

Thomas Bryant was another who became eligible on that date. However, Bryant was traded on Dec. 13 to the Indiana Pacers, which couldn’t be finalized until Dec. 15.

A total of 18 players became trade-eligible Wednesday by fitting into this criteria:

If the player re-signed with previous team
If the player earned a raise of at least 20 percent without signing a minimum
If the player’s team used Bird or Early Bird Rights to re-sign said player

Highsmith, 28, received a 98 percent increase on his $1.9 million salary that he had in 2023-24, signing a two-year, $10.8 million deal in July.

You could argue that Highsmith’s production and value have made him a bargain through 38 games. The 6-foot-7 wing is averaging 7.1 points, 3.4 rebounds and 1.1 steals in 25.6 minutes, shooting 48.7 percent from the floor and 41.9 percent from 3-point range on 3.3 triple tries per game.

He consistently picks up the toughest assignments defensively while being one of the team’s most efficient 3-point shooters with serious cutting value along the baseline. There have been instances where his defense hasn’t met expectations, but he’s still provided ample value at the point-of-attack relative to the rest of the team.

This doesn’t mean that he will be traded at the deadline. But if any deal hypothetically involving Highsmith from this point forward is now on the table. Though we know the majority of everyone’s eyes will be pointed on Jimmy Butler, who returns from suspension Friday against the Denver Nuggets.