John Calipari supports Sahvir Wheeler's transfer portal decision

Sahvir Wheeler announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal after two seasons on Monday. Kentucky head coach John Calipari was completely supportive of his senior point guard’s decision after the fact.

“I talked with Sahvir a few days ago and he decided that he wants to graduate and play one more year because of the injuries he faced this year,” Calipari wrote on Twitter. “He also wanted a fresh start, and I supported his decision. Sahvir has been a big part of our team and we wish him nothing but the best.”

The senior’s portal entry comes after finding himself coming off the bench during the latter half of the season before missing the final stretch with an injury. He averaged 7.7 points and 5.6 assists in 31 games played for the Wildcats this season.

Overall, Wheeler started in 43 of his 51 appearances, averaging 9.1 points, 6.3 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per game while shooting 43.2 percent overall from the field.

This will be Wheeler’s second time in the transfer portal. He began his career at Georgia where he averaged 14.0 points and 7.4 assists per game as a sophomore. He will be a graduate transfer with one more season of collegiate eligibility.

Wheeler’s decision to leave Lexington is the first of what head coach John Calipari expects all of his seniors to leave Kentucky before the portal cycle is over. That includes national player of the year Oscar Tshiebwe, Antonio Reeves, Jacob Toppin and CJ Fredrick, whether that be to the pros or the transfer portal — though none have made any official decision as of this report.

Former five-star recruits and McDonald’s All-Americans Cason Wallace and Chris Livingston are expected to declare for the 2023 NBA Draft as well, leaving Kentucky ready to replace its current talent with one of UK’s highest-rated recruiting classes in some time.

The 2023 class is headlined by DJ Wagner, who comes in as the No. 1 combo guard and No. 3 player overall, according to the On3 Industry Rankings. Wagner said next season, the Wildcats are getting back to winning as soon as possible.

“Each player has great things about our games that match with each other,” Wagner told On3’s Jamie Shaw. “Having conversations and talks with them, we all just want to win as much as possible. We like to win, and we are all just winners.”

Wagner is part of Kentucky’s No.1 class in the 2023 On3 Team Rankings. He joins fellow five-star SF Justin Edwards (ranked No. 2 overall), C Aaron Bradshaw (No. 4), CG Robert Dillingham (No. 10) and four-star CG Reed Sheppard (No. 36).

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire.