One day after the Miami Heat announced they have signed both Malik Williams and Bryson Warren to Exhibit 10 contracts, the team announced Thursday they have waived both players.
It’s not uncommon for NBA organizations to do this at this time of year. As a result, the Heat are back to two below the 21-player maximum they are allotted ahead of training camp, which begins Oct. 1 in the Bahamas.
Both Williams and Warren will likely be shipped to Sioux Falls to be a part of the Skyforce, the Heat’s G-League affiliate. Most players waived on Exhibit 10 contracts are afforded the option to go to their respective G-League teams. And both Williams and Warren spent the entirety of 2023-24 with the Skyforce, so it’s not unfamiliar territory. Though if they were rewarded any optional bonuses (undisclosed)–which can be worth up to $77.5K–they must remain with the Skyforce for at least 60 days.
Williams, who played seven games with the Toronto Raptors at the tail end of 2023-24, was a rotational big man for the Skyforce last season. Listed at 6-foot-11, 250 pounds, he averaged 10.1 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in 42 combined games. In the regular season, he led the team in rebounding percentage (18.0) and defensive rebounding percentage (23.9), tallying 12 double-doubles.
In his first season (27 combined games) with Sioux Falls, Warren, 19, tallied 6.9 points, 1.5 rebounds and 1.8 assists on 32.5 percent shooting from 3-point range and 80.0 percent from the free-throw line.
