The free agent/buyout market continues to weaken for the Golden State Warriors, with the pacific rival Phoenix Suns swooping to acquire a prominent option on Saturday.
According to ESPN's Shams Charania, the Suns have signed Jimmy Butler's former teammate Haywood Highsmith to a multi-year deal after the veteran was waived by the Brooklyn Nets following last week's trade deadline.
Suns sign Haywood Highsmith to multi-year deal
Highsmith has dealt with injury issues after having surgery on his meniscus during the offseason, but if healthy he adds another potential playoff rotation piece for Phoenix who sit three games above Golden State in the Western Conference standings.
If the season ended today, the Suns would host the Warriors in a 7 vs. 8 Play-In Tournament matchup, reigniting the rivalry between Dillon Brooks and the franchise which stems from his time with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2021-22.
Free agent forward Haywood Highsmith has agreed to a multiyear deal with the Phoenix Suns, his agent Jerry Dianis tells ESPN. pic.twitter.com/UbkwghKYRL
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) February 14, 2026
Highsmith didn't appear in a single game with the Nets, but was a notable rotation player for the Miami Heat as recently as last season. The 29-year-old averaged nearly 25 minutes with the Heat last campaign, averaging 6.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.9 assists and nearly a steal per gam on 45.8% shooting from the floor and 38.2% from 3-point range.
Even if the Warriors did have some level of interest in Highsmith, it's debatable whether they would have been willing to offer a multi-year contract, not to mention that allure of playing with Butler again wasn't really a factor given the 6x All-Star has just started the long road back from the torn ACL he suffered last month.
After former top 10 pick Jeremy Sochan made his way to the New York Knicks earlier in the week, and with this news of Highsmith's move to the Suns, there continues to be uncertainty on where Golden State will go with their final roster spot.
The Warriors opened up two roster spots with their moves before last week's trade deadline, before quickly filling one with Pat Spencer. The 29-year-old's conversion from a two-way contract had been coming for weeks, leaving only real interest in what the front office would do with their other available spot.
Golden State were quickly linked to Lonzo Ball after he was waived by the Utah Jazz, but those reports have diminished in the past week. The Warriors could still acquire the former second overall pick before the season resumes next week, or could choose to go into the final stretch of the season with only 14 players considering Stephen Curry, Kristaps Porzingis, and perhaps Seth Curry too, are expected to return from injury in the near future.