Haywood Highsmith's stint with the Suns barely had time to become a memory before it started back up again. Free agent forward Haywood Highsmith has agreed to a one-year deal to return to the Phoenix Suns, his agent Jerry Dianis told ESPN's Shams Charania.
The turnaround here is what makes this worth a double take. Phoenix waived Highsmith on August 12, opening a roster spot after signing him to a two-year veteran minimum deal back in February, according to Arizona Sports. That contract had $1 million of a $3 million 2026-27 salary guaranteed, so cutting him loose freed up flexibility heading into the new league year. Instead of hitting the open market and finding a new home, he's now back where he started less than a week later.
It's easy to forget Highsmith barely got a runway in Phoenix the first time around. He arrived roughly six months removed from meniscus surgery he underwent while with the Miami Heat, and after being flipped to Brooklyn and waived there in early February without playing a single game for the Nets. He made his Suns debut on March 6, appeared in just 10 games the rest of the way, but flashed real shooting touch — 42.1% from three — and popped for a career-high 16 points against Boston on March 16. He also stuck around for the play-in tournament and two playoff games.
Before all that, Highsmith spent four seasons in Miami where he built a reputation as a rugged, switchable wing defender who could space the floor — 213 games, 5.5 points a night, and 38.8% shooting from deep over his final two seasons there. That's the skill set Phoenix keeps circling back to: a low-usage, high-effort forward who guards multiple positions and doesn't need the ball to be useful.
Bringing him back on a fresh one-year deal instead of letting him walk suggests Phoenix still values that specific skill set enough to make room for it again, even after cutting bait for cap reasons just days earlier. It's not a splashy move, but it's a low-cost way to keep a proven rotation piece in the fold while the Suns round out the rest of their offseason roster.