The Miami Heat have turned the page to the regular season by cutting their roster down to the standard limit, waiving four developmental players on Saturday morning after finishing preseason play Friday night.
Miami said it is waiving Ezra Ausar, Kylor Kelley, Gabe Madsen and Bez Mbeng, with all four expected to join the Sioux Falls Skyforce for the coming season. The moves come with the Heat set to open the regular season Wednesday at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Ausar was only signed to an Exhibit 10 deal on Friday before being waived a day later. At 23, he remains a developmental project, and the source material notes that his path to becoming an NBA-level player depends heavily on sharpening his perimeter shooting. Miami’s G-League setup gives him a place to work on those skills, and the organization is viewed as a strong fit for that kind of growth.
Kelley, 29, brings a longer pro résumé. He has spent seven seasons around the NBA, though most of that time has come with G-League affiliates.
He has appeared in 11 NBA games, all during the 2024-25 season with the Dallas Mavericks and New Orleans Pelicans. Listed at seven feet, he was brought in as possible backup center competition, but his next stop now appears to be the developmental roster.
Madsen, 25, spent last season with the Skyforce after going undrafted the year before. In 50 games, he averaged 9.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists while shooting 42.3 percent from beyond the arc. He also spent Summer League with the Atlanta Hawks before returning to Miami’s developmental system.
Mbeng may be the most intriguing of the four players to be waived. The 23-year-old built a strong college résumé at Yale, entered the 2025 draft and went undrafted.
Miami had already signed him to an Exhibit 10 deal before last season, only to waive him shortly afterward. He later landed with the Utah Jazz on a 10-day contract in March and got meaningful minutes there, including a 27-point triple-double against the Memphis Grizzlies in April.
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