The Bucks already picked up Cam Thomas, who was waived by Brooklyn, but there's another former Net they should be sprinting to sign: Haywood Highsmith, who was released by the Brooklyn Nets four days ago as he continues to recover from knee surgery earlier this season.
The Bucks have long known what Highsmith brings, dating back to their fierce battles with Miami. They've even gone as far as recruiting him before, and he solves their most glaring positional weakness. The fact that Damian Lillard already attempted to recruit him once when he was on the Bucks tells you everything about how the team viewed his potential fit.
If they can clear another roster spot after signing Thomas, Highsmith makes plenty of sense.
Haywood Highsmith could solve this team's problems at small forward
According to Cleaning the Glass, Highsmith was in the 62nd percentile in offensive rating and the 55th percentile in defensive rating during his last healthy season for Miami in 2024-25. During Highsmith's best defensive season, opponents scored -1.7 fewer points per 100 possessions whenever he was on the floor.
So he's by no means a star or even a fringe star type of player, but profile-wise, he's exactly the kind of 3-and-D wing championship teams need. Highsmith can guard multiple positions, knock down corner threes at a respectable clip (37.4 percent for his career thus far), and doesn't need plays drawn up for him to be effective. Those are foundational role player qualities that Milwaukee's lacked all season.
The Bucks should absolutely scoop up Highsmith before some other contender recognizes the opportunity. He fills a massive need, has prior interest from the organization, and costs nothing but a roster spot. This is exactly the kind of move that separates smart front offices from ones that watch opportunities pass them by.
The price is right too. Highsmith's on the buyout market, meaning Milwaukee can sign him for a minimum contract without giving up any assets. That's the definition of low-risk, high-reward pickup that contending teams should be making constantly.
There's definitely some risk involved. As of this writing, Highsmith remains without a timetable for a return due to right knee injury management. The forward still had not made his season debut and was out indefinitely when the Nets waived him. So an argument can be made that their medical staff saw something fans didn't.
But at the end of the day, the Bucks already tried to sign him once and got rejected because they couldn't offer enough money. Now they're getting a second chance to add him at minimum cost after Brooklyn did Milwaukee a favor by cutting him loose.
This is the easiest decision Milwaukee will make all year. Former trade target, Lillard connection, defensive ability, buyout timing -- everything aligns perfectly for the Bucks to finally address their small forward weakness without giving up anything. The wing-sized problem that's plagued Milwaukee all season could be solved by lunch tomorrow if they only pick up the phone and make it happen.
Make the call, Horst. Sign Highsmith before another team beats you to it and Milwaukee spends the rest of the season regretting missing out on him twice.
Stay tuned for more Milwaukee Bucks analysis.