Suns' Haywood Highsmith looks to return from surgery this season
Haywood Highsmith didn’t sign with the Phoenix Suns to sit out the rest of the 2025-26 season.
The 6-foot-5 forward looks to return to action after having surgery last August to repair a meniscal tear in his right knee from training in his hometown of Baltimore. He has yet to play a game this season.
“I'm here to play basketball at the end of the day,” Highsmith said Feb. 20. “That's what I want to do. So we'll figure out when that happens and go from there. I'm going to continue to put the work in and control what I can control and just go from there."
Highsmith signed with the Suns as a free agent earlier this month. At the time of his surgery, Highsmith was expected to miss eight-to-10 weeks.
“We're excited to have him,” Suns coach Jordan Ott said Feb. 19. “Right now, he just continues to go through more testing with our group. Similar to everyone else, when they come into our group, we'll have a plan. Get him back out there.”
"Appreciate the Suns giving me an opportunity."
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) February 20, 2026
Haywood Highsmith joined Phoenix as a free agent.
On optimism to play this season as he hasn't played this season following offseason knee surgery: "I'm here to play basketball at the end of the day. That's what I want to do. So… pic.twitter.com/t5sveSLrLL
The Suns (32-24) have 26 more games remaining in the regular season as they begin a four-game homestand Feb. 21 against the Orlando Magic (29-25).
“I appreciate the Suns giving me an opportunity,” Highsmith said. “Got here right after (NBA All-Star break) earlier this week. Met the staff, met everybody. Just getting acquainted, getting acclimated with everybody. Trying to get right to work, do whatever it takes to get back on the court as quickly as possible. Working with the training staff and the coaches and figuring out what the plan is.”
Highsmith last played April 28, 2025, in the first round of the NBA playoffs for the Miami Heat against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Ott was an assistant with the Cavs, who swept the Heat. Highsmith scored 17 points in Game 2 of the series, hitting 5-of-6 from 3 in a 121-112 loss for the Heat.
That was the closest game of the series, with Highsmith being a major reason.
Now Ott looks to coach him.
“He wants to play,” Ott added. “Hasn't played all year. We want to get him back out there, but we want him to be right.”
The 29-year-old Highsmith can guard multiple positions. He brings strength, physicality, offensive rebounding and the ability to knock down corner 3s to Phoenix.
Jordan Ott on Haywood Highsmith (right knee injury management) possibly playing this season: "We're excited to have him. Right now he just continues to go through more testing with our group. Similar to everyone else, when they come into our group, we'll have a plan. Get him back… pic.twitter.com/lhsGWU8ufK
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) February 20, 2026
“That fits right in with me,” said Highsmith, a career 37.4% 3-point shooter. “Just guarding the ball, picking up full court, being tough, making it difficult and just being that tough, gritty defender and making it hard for opposing teams.”
Highsmith earned the nickname “Locksmith” for his defensive prowess from his four seasons with Miami (2021-25).
“They kind of brought it out of me,” Highsmith said. “They also got my body right. When I first got into the NBA with (Philadelphia 76ers) and G League and all that, my body wasn't fully how it should be.”
Undrafted, Highsmith played college ball at Wheeling University, an NCAA Division II school in West Virginia.
“The Heat got me in great shape, gave me the tools as far as the schemes and going a lot of reps in games, playoffs,” Highsmith later said. “That got me more comfortable as well. The Heat really pushed it out of me and from there, I just kind of took over it, owned it and I love it.”
Highsmith has been doing individual workouts with the Suns staff and testing the knee.
“Doing a lot of strength tests,” Highsmith said. “Movement, change direction. I don't think it's really been challenged. Just trying to get the hang of it. Get back into it. I haven't done some of these movements in a minute. It's getting better each rep, each time I'm doing it. Just trying to get more comfortable with it.”
Suns forward Haywood Highsmith on time with Miami Heat: "The first really NBA team to give me an opportunity. I learned a lot there defensively, work wise, how to approach every day, to be a pro."
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) February 20, 2026
On testing the knee: "Doing a lot of strength tests. Movement, change direction.… pic.twitter.com/v2kadb2K23
Highsmith passed one major mental and physical test with a dunk in a morning workout before the Suns played the San Antonio Spurs in Austin.
“I had a couple (of dunks),” Highsmith said. “It feels good to be able to dunk again. Coming off a knee injury and have that mental confidence. It's always the aspect of coming off an injury the mental side and the physical side. Getting back to dunking is great for my mental and overall, I'm just blessed to be able to dunk again.”
Highsmith underwent surgery after averaging a career-high 6.5 points in 74 games (42 starts) in his fourth and final season with the Heat in 2024-25.
Miami traded Highsmith to the Brooklyn Nets, who later waived him before the Feb. 5 trade deadline.
Highsmith didn’t play a single game for the Nets, who are in full rebuilding mode.
He’s looking to return to the court in Phoenix as he’s joined a team that’s seventh in the West and is competing for a playoff spot.
“The journey I’ve had has been up and down,” Highsmith said. “I’ve just stayed with it, try to work my hardest, control what I can control and God has blessed me to play in the NBA however many years I’ve been here.”
Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at [email protected] or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Suns' Haywood Highsmith looks to return from surgery this season
Proposed Orioles blockbuster trade sees Baltimore land $9.35 million two-time All-Star as emergency replacement for Jackson Holliday, Jordan Westburg
Proposed Orioles blockbuster trade sees Baltimore land $9.35 million two-time All-Star as emergency replacement for Jackson Holliday, Jordan Westburg originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Baltimore Orioles showed their worth today after they kicked off Spring Training defeating the New York Yankees, 2-0. However, they do now have a huge problem: Two star infielders, Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg, are set to miss a good portion of the season with injuries.
Fansided’s Christopher Kline proposes a solution: one more trade. This time, the O’s would make a deal with the Houston Astros, and nab two-time All-Star Isaac Paredes.
The trade would look like this:
Orioles get: 3B Isaac Paredes
Astros get: OF Enrique Bradfield Jr., OF Jeremiah Jackson
“The Orioles receive a two-time All-Star with a couple years of cheap club control in Isaac Paredes. He fills an immediate need and should elevate what already projects (with enough positive regression) to be one of the more potent lineups in the American League, especially if Gunnar Henderson meets expectations and returns to MVP contention…Paredes does complicate a few short- and long-term timelines, but he's a potential 100-RBI bat who can substantially elevate Baltimore's competitive ceiling. And this O's team clearly wants to win,” Kline wrote.
This past season, Paredes slashed .254/.352/.458/.809 with 15 doubles, 20 home runs, and 53 RBI in 102 games. He also earned his second All-Star nod with his performance this season.
He’d also be cheap for the O’s, too. He’s only set to earn $9.35 million this year, and still has two years of team control.
The only problem is once Holliday and Westburg come back, the question of where Paredes would go comes into play. However, with no definite timeline for either player’s return, getting Paredes seems like a smart solution.
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Louisville Comes from Behind to Defeat Cornhuskers, 4-2
In what was an evenly matched contest from the get-go, it was the little things that made a difference In Nebraska’s 4-2 loss to Louisville. Ty Horn and Ethan Eberle faced off, both of them coming up with huge pitches when they needed them. Both of them have pitched better than they did today, but what was on display was their toughness, which is fun to watch.
Horn was probably the sharper as he made big pitch after big pitch with runners on base throughout his five innings. The defense came up big as well with timely double plays and picking runners off base. With his pitch count running up, Horn came out for the 6th inning, but surrendered a lead-off double to cleanup batter Kade Elam. Coach Childress decided that his day was done and Horn walked off to a standing ovation from both fan bases.
Nebraska did not have a problem putting runners on base. They did not go three up, three down until the final inning. They had a chance to break it open in the top of the second as they loaded the bases with one out and Mac Moyer smoked one down the third base line. Bayram Hot, playing the hot corner for the Cardinals, made a diving grab on the grounder, hustled to his feet to step on third and fired it across the diamond just a split second before Moyer’s foot hit the bag.
The Big Red did strike first in the third with two outs and Joshua Overbeek and Dylan Carey hitting back-to-back singles. Designated hitter Cole Ktchens then got a single of his own to put the first run of the game up on the scoreboard.
The strikeout was Horn’s best friend today as twice he struck out Cardinals batters with two runners on base to end an inning. The double he gave up to Elam was his 80th pitch, which is plenty this time of the season.
Dylan “No More Mister Nice Guy” Carey added to the Cornhusker lead in the fifth with a home run the opposite way over the right-center field wall. Casey also singled in the third and doubled in the seventh.
With Horn out of the game, lefty Caleb Clark came in to hold the fort. Clark pitched well last weekend, and frankly, he didn’t pitch horrible today. However, the Baseball Gods have once again used Clark as their voodoo doll.
He walked the first batter he faced, but the base was open, so no harm no foul. Up came Jax Hisle, who hit a sharp hopper right back at Clark. Double play baby! No, that’s not what happened. The ball got to Clark really fast yet he rushed the throw to second base, sailing it to the left field side way out of reach of Carey. Lucas Moore, scored and there were two runners on and no outs.
The bullpen jumped into action and the Cornhuskers tried to buy time with visits to the mound. Clark gave up a single and the bases were loaded. This was make or break time for the veteran lefthander from Canada. He induced a pop up to Overbeek to get the first out and then Coach Childress opted to go right on right, bringing in Ryan Harrahill, who also pitched well las weekend. He got his first batter to pop up to third and Cornhusker fans rose to their feel to help him get the third out. It was not to be. The number nine batter in the lineup, Griffin Crain, ripped a double to put Louisville ahead 3-2.
The Cardinals added a run in the bottom of the seventh on a solo home run by Tague Davis, and that was basically all she wrote. Both teams went three up, three down the rest of the way and Louisville added a 4-2 victory in their win column.
Louisville is a strong baseball program, and most definitely the best team Nebraska has faced this season so far. Nebraska fans that are also College World Series fans are familiar with the Louisville Cardinals as they have made a number of appearances under Head Coach Dan McDonnell, who is in his 20th season leading the boys from Derby City. In fact, they played in one of the semifinals last year at The Chuck.
The Cornhuskers will be back at it tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. against the Kansas State Wildcats. There were a lot of purple fans piling in after the game but the bet is more Nebraska fans will show up tomorrow.
Notes:
- I bagged on Jeter Worthley last weekend regarding the fact that teams were able to steal second base relatively easy. Lucas Moore swiped on in the first inning, but Worthley evened the score in the third inning, nailing him with a throw overturned on review. Actually, the throw was there in plenty of time. The tag was higher than one would like to see.
- The DJ, or whatever you call the guy responsible for the music in a ballpark, at Globe Life Field was incredible. Good tunes throughout, and the right song at the right time. Aaron and I chuckled when Dylan Carey came to the plate and his walkup song was the 70’s Alice Cooper rocker No More Mister Nice Guy. Usually, media people send walkup songs and other music to these tournaments, so if Carey really did choose this song, my hat is tipped to him. Why? Because he has been too nice of a guy! We actually saw a little emotion out of him today as well.
49ers identified as top landing spot for 104-start OL in free agency
The San Francisco 49ers enter this offseason with some questions along their offensive line for the foreseeable future, especially at left guard.
Next month, two of three offensive linemen who started games for the 49ers at left guard in 2025 will hit the open market - Ben Bartch and Spencer Burford. That will leave Connor Colby as the top option to start on the roster, which is not great.
With that, San Francisco should be looking to add a veteran at the position this offseason, and earlier this week, ESPN's Matt Bowen identified the 49ers as the best fit for free agent guard Isaac Seumalo.
"Improving the interior of the offensive line is a must for Kyle Shanahan's offense," Bowen wrote. "Seumalo can displace defenders in both zone and gap run concepts, plus he would keep the pocket firm in pass pro for quarterback Brock Purdy. The 10-year veteran has the foot quickness to redirect defenders and the body control to wrestle back against power rushers. Seumalo's 97.3% pass rush win rate with the Steelers this season ranked second among 65 qualifying guards, and his 76.9% run block win rate checked in at fourth."
Seumalo played collegiately at Oregon State from 2012-15, earning All-Pac-12 honors once, before the Philadelphia Eagles took him in the third round (No. 79 overall) of the 2016 NFL draft.
Over seven years with the Eagles, Seumalo appeared in 81 games, started 60 and won a Super Bowl. He then signed a three-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2023 and went on to start all 44 games that he played in and made the Pro Bowl in 2024.
With Seumalo turning 33 during the 2026 season, he's not a long-term answer for the 49ers at left guard, but he could help out for a year or two while they look for that guy.
More 49ers: 49ers on list of 10 teams with massive over/under win total in 2026
This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers identified as top landing spot for Isaac Seumalo in free agency