USC forward Drew Peterson signed a contract with the Miami Heat

USC Trojans forward Drew Peterson is getting his shot in the NBA. Per Adrian Wojnarowski, Peterson is signing an Exhibit 10 contract with the Miami Heat.

An Exhibit 10 contract is a one-year deal at the minimum salary, which the team is able to convert into a two-way deal. However, to convert the deal into a two-way contract, it must be done before the start of the regular season.

Peterson spent the first two years of his college career at Rice before transferring to USC for the final three. He took advantage of an extra year of eligibility due to the pandemic. As that transfer was prior to the start of the one-time transfer rule, he needed a waiver to play immediately, which he received.

Over the course of his college career, Peterson averaged 10.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game. However, as a senior, he averaged a career high in each of these categories, with 13.9 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game. Peterson was also a captain at USC for his senior season. He did that while battling through an injury as a senior.

A member of the Class of 2018 from Libertyville, Illinois, Peterson was not a ranked recruit. Now, he has his shot to make it in the NBA with the defending Eastern Conference Champion, Miami Heat.

Draft breakdown for Drew Peterson

Prior to the NBA Draft, there was some thought that Drew Peterson could make it into the second round. However, it’s no surprise that he ended up becoming an undrafted free agent. Now, Peterson is going to bring his skillset to the NBA, which he hopes will let him stick around for some time.

The key to that skillset is going to be his versatility.

That versatility is something he’s been known for going back to his time at USC, with the Trojans website describing him as “a versatile playmaker and scorer who is also a strong rebounder and good distributor of the ball.”

Peterson himself agrees with that assessment.

“I think the biggest thing for me is that I can do whatever a team needs,” Peterson said. “I’m here to fill any role whether it’s shooting, passing, rebounding, defending. I’m your guy and I’m ready to be plugged in wherever. Where the league is headed with positionless basketball, I think I’m perfectly suited for that.”