MIAMI — The personnel churn has begun for the Miami Heat at the back end of the roster in advance of the NBA’s Oct. 19 cutdown deadline.

That meant a flurry of moves in the wake of Thursday night’s preseason victory over the New Orleans Pelicans at Kaseya Center.

Of the moves involving five players, the most noteworthy was the Heat signing Dennis Smith Jr. to an Exhibit 10 tryout contract and then immediately waiving the veteran NBA point guard.

What it means is that Smith, 28, will not be part of the Heat’s preseason program and instead will be funneled back to the Heat’s G League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, where he finished last season.

The No. 9 pick by the Dallas Mavericks in the 2017 NBA draft, Smith last played in the NBA in 2023-24 with the Brooklyn Nets, as part of a basketball journey that has included NBA stops with the Mavericks, New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons, Portland Trail Blazers, Charlotte Hornets and Nets. He subsequently has played in Spain and the G League.

Initial word of the Heat’s interest in Smith sparked speculation he might be brought in as insurance at point guard, with the Heat limited behind starting point guard Davion Mitchell to Dru Smith and two-way player Tre Donaldson, the undrafted rookie out of the University of Miami.

Smith has been sidelined since training camp with a calf strain, but Donaldson has played well in his preseason minutes. Heat coach Erik Spoelstra also utilized second-round pick Ryan Conwell at point guard in Thursday’s exhibition victory over the Pelicans, with Pelle Larsson getting reps at point guard in the Heat’s preseason opener.

In their other personnel moves after Thursday night’s exhibition, the Heat signed center Kylor Kelley and guard Gabe Madsen and waived forward J’Vonne Hadley and guard Lester Quiñones. All four are expected to be funneled to the Heat’s G League affiliate in South Dakota.

Like Smith, those four were signed to Exhibit 10 tryout contracts that can pay up to a $91,000 bonus if the player spends at least 60 days in the G League.

Hadley, who was originally signed on Aug. 27 after playing as a starter for the Heat during Summer League, appeared in two Heat preseason games, totaling seven points, eight rebounds, one assist and a steal in 22:14 of action. He went undrafted last June out of Louisville.

Quiñones, who was signed on Sept. 29, appeared in one Heat preseason, totaling one rebound in 9:12 of action. He went undrafted out of Memphis in 2022, with NBA stops with the Warriors, 76ers and Pelicans.

Madsen appeared in 36 regular-season games last season with the Skyforce, averaging 9.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.17 steals in  28.5 minutes per game,  shooting .450 from the field and .374 on 3-pointers. He scored in double-figures 17 times, including two 20-point performances. He went undrafted out of Utah in 2025, briefly working with the Heat in the preseason last year, as he now will again.

Kelley appeared in 19 regular season G League games last season with the South Bay Lakers, averaging 8.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.32 blocks and 1.8 assists in 25.9 minutes per game, shooting .733 from the field. He appeared in 11 career NBA games with Dallas and New Orleans during the 2024-25 season, totaling 34 points, 39 rebounds, five assists, three blocks and a steal while shooting .636 from the field. He went undrafted out of Oregon State in 2020.

Beyond Smith, Kelley, Madsen, Hadley  and Quiñones, the Heat also are expected to shuffle guard Bez Mbeng and forward Ian Schieffelin from their current preseason roster to Sioux Falls, and also sign undrafted Southern Cal forward Ezra Ausar to an Exhibit 10 contract in order to funnel him to Sioux Falls.

With the additions of Kelley and Madsen, the Heat roster remains at the NBA offseason maximum of 21 players. Teams must trim to no more than 15 players under standard contract and three others under two-way contract by 5 p.m. Oct. 19, with those moves required to be put into motion by Oct. 17 in order for released players to clear waivers.

The Heat open the franchise’s 39th regular season on Oct. 21 against the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves, with three exhibitions remaining on their preseason schedule.