The Phoenix Suns have started trimming the edges of the roster ahead of the 2026-27 season, and the first notable move leaves Haywood Highsmith on the outside looking in.
Phoenix waived Highsmith and chose to keep Jamaree Bouyea, a decision that points directly to where the organization thinks its best roster value lies right now. Both players are on non-guaranteed deals, with those contracts becoming fully guaranteed on January 27.
Highsmith’s time in Phoenix was short. He played in seven games last season, putting up 5.4 points per game while averaging 13 minutes. In the postseason, he saw action in two games and did not score in either one.
At nearly 30, Highsmith has built a reputation as a sturdy three-and-D wing. He’s listed at 6’5”, but his length and physical edge have helped him stick around the league, along with the kind of shot-making that gives coaches confidence. Even so, the Suns had multiple reasons to move in a different direction.
Bouyea appears to have gained the upper hand first and foremost because the team already knows him well. Phoenix spotted him while he was with the Austin Spurs in the G League, brought him in, and kept developing him from there. That investment has started to pay off, especially during preseason, when he averaged 9.8 points in 16.6 minutes over five games.
There’s also a roster-shape element here. Bouyea is three years younger, and he adds depth at guard.
Highsmith, by contrast, would have been fighting for wing minutes on a team that already has several younger players it wants to see grow. Ryan Dunn, Rasheer Fleming, and Koa Peat are all part of that group, and giving Highsmith a real role could have meant taking reps away from those prospects.
Health likely played into the call as well. Highsmith is coming off the meniscus tear he suffered last season, and there are real questions about how fully he has recovered. For Phoenix, keeping flexibility instead of locking in on a player with injury uncertainty makes sense.
That flexibility is a theme with this front office. The Suns seem more interested in preserving options early in the season than in rushing to fill every open slot. Waiving Highsmith clears a spot on the 15-man roster, and while Duop Reath could eventually fill it, the expectation is that he ends up on a two-way deal with Koby Brea and Pat Spencer.
The bigger picture is simple enough: Phoenix would rather keep its options open while it learns what this roster can become. The Suns still need time to sort out rotations and identify where the holes really are. If a need shows up later, they want the ability to react.
For Highsmith, it’s a tough break, but not necessarily a verdict on his ability. For Bouyea, it’s another chance to prove he belongs. And for the Suns, it’s a choice that reflects youth, development, and roster flexibility over keeping a veteran whose role would have been narrow anyway.
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