Q: Ira, how did Tre White end up going back to college? Didn’t he forgo his eligibility by entering the draft? – B.A.
A: Because he was part of a court case that claimed the right for a fifth college season, the same machination that allowed Heat summer prospect Keyshawn Hall to move on to St. John’s instead of Heat camp (assuredly for more money, as well). Regarding White returning to play at Kansas, this is an explainer from KUSports.com, “After the season, White went undrafted and put together a strong stint in the NBA Summer League with the Miami Heat, and had even been photographed in recent days training at the gym with members of the team. But on Sept. 14, he became one of 89 new plaintiffs added to an existing lawsuit in Indiana. Those plaintiffs generally consist of members of the high school class of 2022 who played four consecutive seasons of a given sport and then exhausted their eligibility, only for the NCAA to announce a new five-year eligibility model soon afterward.” From what I’ve been told, White might have agreed to an Exhibit 10 deal but never signed an Exhibit 10 deal, Therefore, he never became a pro. (Aside from this, it long has been farcical how NCAA teams have recruited players who played professionally, sometimes for years, in Europe and then signed with the NCAA’s “amateur” programs). Good for Tre White if he got his bag. You should be able to earn wherever possible. That said, an NCAA appeal could yet block White’s Kansas return, and therefore put him back in play for the Heat’s developmental program or that of another NBA team. For now, he merely has been allowed to attend Kansas and practice with the Jayhawks.
Q: Add Victor Oladipo, he is the one who deserves a chance. – Jurgis.
A: And he just might, and what he had shown in the past is the type of shot creation and streak scoring that this Heat roster might lack. But . . . but Victor Oladipo also is 34, has not played in the NBA since his 2023 playoff knee injury while with the Heat, and was highly uneven during his 2025 comeback bid with the Bucks’ G League team. Yes, the Heat have done reunions before with older players, but this is a case of an older player who has been out of the league and had a career of injury setbacks. The comeback bid is laudable. But sometimes these things don’t end on a player’s terms. If there is to be a Heat comeback tour for a 30-year-old current free-agent guard, it is more likely to be with Gabe Vincent.
Q: Only our fan base seems to clamour for names for the sake of a name. – Leo.
A: No, that is every fan base. This came in response to D’Angelo Russell being waived by the Grizzlies and now being available as a free agent. And, yes, there often is something to be said about a known quantity. But also give the Heat credit in that regard, that instead of going for the known, they have proven adept at developing the unknown or little known, with this time around it perhaps being Tre Donaldson, Bez Mbeng or Ryan Conwell as a second-round pick, with an investment still in the possibilities of Keshad Johnson. So fans can be fans. It’s the front office that has to know better.
