Miami Heat Announce Roster Moves Ahead Of Final Preseason Game

The preseason is just about wrapped up as the Miami Heat will take on the Orlando Magic on Friday evening for their final preseason outing before the regular season begins next Wednesday. With the regular season quickly approaching, the Heat are forced to make roster decisions for the active NBA roster as well as the G-League unit.

On Friday morning, the Heat announced two roster moves. The team signed forward Ezra Ausar to an Exhibit 10 deal while waiving Ian Schieffelin from his contract in a corresponding move. Both are expected to join the Sioux Falls Skyforce for the upcoming season.

Ausar, 23, went undrafted this summer out of USC. He began his collegiate career in 2022 with the East Carolina Pirates, where he played for two seasons before joining Utah for his junior year. Prior to joining USC, he was a consistent 11 to 12 points a night. However, he saw plenty of more scoring opportunities by rounding out his collegiate career with USC this past season where he came close to averaging 15 points.

The big problem with Ausar is his perimeter shooting woes. He just doesn't shoot from beyond the arc. In his second and final season at East Carolina, he shot 37.5 percent from three-point range but only averaged 0.2-0.5 three point attempts. Every other season of his college tenure, he rarely shot the ball from beyond the arc. For Ausar to be an NBA-level player, he needs to develop his perimeter shooting drastically and the Heat are one team who can help him work on those skillsets while in the G-League. If there is ever a coach or organization to trust to unlock a raw prospect's potential, it's Erik Spoelstra and the Heat's developmental system.

Schieffelin, 23, is an intriguing player for the Heat to retain in the organization. Similar to Ausar, he went undrafted this summer. He is best known for his physical style of play which led to him being convinced by Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney in 2025 to try football in his last season as a graduate senior. He could be a guy to see the call-up to the active roster later on this season if the team becomes plagued by injuries, especially if recent acquisition Nick Richards is not cutting it at the backup center position. Vladislav Goldin has been publicly advocating for a standard roster spot as well so there could end up being a crowded backup frontcourt in Miami.