Former Syracuse basketball player Cole Swider sticks with Miami Heat on two-way contract

Syracuse, N.Y. ― The Miami Heat has converted Cole Swider to a two-way contract, which means the former Syracuse University basketball player will remain with the NBA franchise.

Swider, who played at Syracuse in the 2021-22 season, had been in the Heat’s training camp on an Exhibit 10 deal. Players on an Exhibit 10 contract can be with a team during the preseason, but the team must either put them on the 15-player roster, convert the deal to a two-way contract or waive them ahead of the NBA’s opening night on Wednesday, Oct. 25.

By converting Swider to a two-way contract, Miami retains his rights. Swider is eligible to play a maximum of 50 games for the Heat. He will spend the rest of the upcoming 2023-24 season with the Heat’s G-League affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

Only players with three or fewer years of NBA service are eligible for two-way contracts. Miami has also signed former Marquette guard Jamal Cain and guard R.J. Hampton, who played in New Zealand instead of college, to two-way deals.

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In his one season at Syracuse, Swider averaged 13.9 points per game and made 41.1% of his 3-point attempts. The 6-foot-8 forward was not selected in the 2022 NBA draft, but he immediately signed a two-way deal with the Los Angeles Lakers.

Swider made a strong early impression with the Lakers’ team in the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

Last year, Swider appeared in seven games with the L.A. Lakers. He scored just 1.3 points per game, but connected on 37.5% of his 3-point attempts. In 27 G-League games with the South Bay Lakers, Swider averaged 17.1 points and dropped in 43.6% of his 3-point shots.

Miami opens the 2023-24 regular season on Wednesday with a home game against the Detroit Pistons. Swider doesn’t figure to be on the Heat’s active roster for that game. The Skyforce opens its training camp later this month. The regular season begins with a home game against the Indiana Mad Ants on Nov. 11.

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