DePaul PF JJ Traynor enters NCAA transfer portal

DePaul power forward JJ Traynor has entered the NCAA transfer portal. He spent one year with the Blue Demons after playing the first four seasons of his career at Louisville and will have one season of eligibility remaining.

Traynor appeared in 32 games and made 10 starts this past season at DePaul, which ended the season 14-19. He averaged 5.6 points and 3.3 rebounds across 17.5 minutes per game.

Prior to that, he played 70 games with 19 starts in his four seasons at Louisville. He averaged 5.7 points and 3.0 rebounds in his career with the Cardinals. Unfortunately, Traynor has never been the the NCAA Tournament in his five seasons of college basketball, as Louisville had just one winning season during his time there.

Perhaps his next stop will give him an opportunity to finally compete in March Madness. Fans can already rule a return to Louisville out of the picture though, as Traynor addressed the possibility on X on Sunday evening.

“I had my time at Louisville and I’m grateful for the opportunity, and will always be a fan,” he said. “But to end the disrespect, I’m not coming back to Louisville.”

Traynor played high school basketball for Barnstown (KY), where he was a a four-star recruit in the 2020 class. He ranked as the No. 94 overall player and No. 17 power forward in the cycle according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. Additionally, he was the No. 319 overall player when he entered the portal last season according to On3.

The college basketball transfer portal officially opening on Monday, March 24. It will remain open for 30 days until April 22. So far, 387 players have entered their name on the first day of the portal being open.

The college basketball transfer portal is starting to mirror the NBA’s free agency. Last spring alone, 1,962 Division I players tested the portal waters. Based on the early numbers from this year, even more could follow.

According to college basketball analytics expert Evan Miyakawa, for the first time in history, more than half of the points scored in Division I men’s college basketball will be scored by players recruited through the transfer portal, not from high school in 2024-25.

In data gathered over the first two years with transfer windows, the NCAA found most athletes enter the portal within the first four weeks of the portal opening. The study showed that 73% of men’s and women’s basketball undergraduate athletes entered during the first four weeks. That increased to 82% for men and 86% for women in 2024.