The Heat are lining up more low-risk roster business, with free agent forwards Ezra Ausar and Ian Schieffelin set to sign Exhibit 10 contracts, according to reports from Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel and Anthony Chiang of The Miami Herald.
Both players already got a look with Miami during Summer League last month, and now they’re expected to stick around on those Exhibit 10 deals. Each will be trying to turn that opportunity into a two-way spot.
Ausar, a 6-foot-9 power forward, went undrafted in June after a college path that took him from East Carolina to Utah and then to USC. In his final season with the Trojans, he put up 14.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.0 steal across 32 games, playing 29.8 minutes per night.
Schieffelin’s road has been even more unusual. He spent four years at Clemson, where he finished his senior season in 2024/25 with averages of 12.4 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.7 assists while shooting .495/.341/.741 in 34 games. Then, after being convinced by Dabo Swinney - a friend of Heat coach Erik Spoelstra - to try football, he played eight games as a tight end for the Tigers last season.
“ It’s a huge blessing. I mean, not many people can really say that they’ve done kind of what I’ve done over the past year,” Schieffelin said in July.
“ It’s been just a blessing getting back into basketball and just the Heat organization taking a chance on me for Summer League and just giving me an opportunity. It’s just a blessing to be here.
This whole journey has been amazing.”
Miami is also expected to finish the previously reported Exhibit 10 deals for Tre White and J’Vonne Hadley, while the team continues to show interest in Keyshawn Hall. Hall is still weighing whether to return to college for a fifth season.
The Heat can’t officially lock in any of those tentative Exhibit 10 agreements until they add two more players to standard contracts. Right now, Miami has 12 players on its standard roster.
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