The Miami Heat just traded Haywood Smith and a second-round pick to the Brooklyn Nets so that they could duck the luxury tax in advance of the 2025-26 regular season. Let’s not mince any more words: This is questionable, if downright terrible, asset management.
As ESPN’s Shams Charania noted, this is a financially motivated move for the Heat. They were around $1.4 million above the tax line prior to the deal, and are now around $4 million beneath it. That is more than enough to fill out their roster with the required 14th player, and remain outside the luxury tax.