Kentucky Basketball Roster Tracker: Casting a wide net in the transfer portal

Adou Thiero came out of the gates hot to open the Kentucky offseason, deciding to not only enter the transfer portal, but also test the draft waters and consider a return to Lexington — the ole trifecta of keeping options open. From there, though, it’s been an absolute ghost town in terms of tangible news, no other stay/go announcements with the rest of the team in nearly a week. Rob Dillingham is posting photos in Los Angeles next to Cybertrucks and we still haven’t received confirmation he’s taking his talents to the NBA, no matter how inevitable that may be.

It’s quiet. Too quiet.

That doesn’t mean movement isn’t happening, though, as the Wildcats continue to reach out to new names in the portal while guys they previously kicked the tires on are committing elsewhere. Take UTSA transfer Jordan Ivy-Curry for instance, Kentucky making contact on March 26, only for him to commit to Virginia Tech on Tuesday. It appears the staff is casting a wide net on potential names of interest while receiving clarity on current stay/go decisions, waiting for clear fits and/or departures to create holes. When you have nine guys with some sort of choice to make, you can’t load up your roster with just anybody at the risk of running better talent away you already have in Lexington.

But you also can’t risk missing out on potential upgrades if they become available with no promise of toss-up pieces actually returning.

It’s a tough predicament, but that’s where things stand as we get into the heat of the offseason with roster construction.

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GONE (GRADUATED/NBA DRAFT): Antonio Reeves, Tre Mitchell

TRANSFER PORTAL: Adou Thiero*

UNDECIDED: Aaron Bradshaw, Jordan Burks, Rob Dillingham, Justin Edwards, Joey Hart, Zvonimir Ivisic, Ugonna Onyenso, Reed Sheppard, DJ Wagner

* Also testing NBA Draft waters

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IMPORTANT DATES

• April 27: NBA Early Entry Eligibility Deadline (11:59 p.m. ET)
• May 1: Transfer Portal Closes
• May 12: NBA Draft Lottery
• May 13-19: NBA Combine
• May 29: NCAA early entrant withdrawal deadline (11:59 pm ET)
• June 16: NBA Draft Early Entry Entrant Withdrawal Deadline (5 p.m. ET)
• June 26: NBA Draft 2024 First Round
• June 27: NBA Draft 2024 Second Round

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UPDATES

April 3: Kentucky makes contact with Belmont transfer Cade Tyson

• The 6-7 forward averaged 16.2 points and 5.9 rebounds in 31.6 minutes, shooting 49.3% from the field and 46.5% from three on 5.5 attempts per game
• He entered the transfer portal on March 25 with two years of college eligibility remaining and is considered the No. 39 overall available prospect
• Kentucky joins Duke, UNC, Tennessee, Auburn, Florida, Kansas, Louisville, Texas and Villanova among schools to reach out

April 3: Son of former Kentucky player Jalen Blackmon hears from the Cats

• Remember James Blackmon Sr.? The former McDonald’s All-American played at Kentucky in the 1980s, and now, his son Jalen is hearing from the current staff
• Blackmon was a standout at Stetson before entering the portal on March 27
• He’s also heard from Kansas, Indiana, Northwestern, Xavier, UCLA, Butler, Mississippi State, Colorado, California, Texas, BYU, Utah State, and LMU 
• The standout guard averaged a team-high 21.3 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in nearly 35 minutes per game this past season, shooting 42.8% from the field and 38.1% from three
• He scored at least 20 points in 20 games this year

April 1: Virginia Tech transfer Tyler Nickel talks to Chuck Martin

• Shooting is clearly a priority for the Cats, reaching out to the 6-7 forward this week after entering the portal on March 29. He shot 43.8% from the field and 39.9% from three this past season.
• On the year, he averaged 8.8 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 24.3 minutes per contest
• Nickel has also heard from Vanderbilt, Virginia, Providence, Saint Mary’s and Stanford

March 28: Adou Thiero enters transfer portal, will test NBA Draft Waters

• Pitt, Miami, Arizona, Oregon, Gonzaga, Ohio State, Indiana, Xavier, NC State, Arkansas, Texas A&M, Creighton, Richmond, Georgia, UCSB, Penn State, Mizzou, DePaul, Georgetown, Ole Miss and Duquesne are among the schools to reach out to the sophomore wing, according to ESPN’s Jeff Borzello
• Thiero, who averaged 7.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game as a sophomore, plans to cut his list next week
• “It’s all there for him. He’s gotten so much better,” John Calipari said of Thiero to close out the regular season. “He’s not even what he was a year ago and what he is now. And I still think he’s going to be 6-9. He’s probably 6-7, maybe a little bit bigger now. By the time next year rolls around, he’ll be 6-9.”
• In ESPN’s first 2025 NBA mock draft, Jonathan Givony included Thiero at No. 27 overall

March 27: Kentucky reaches out to Milwaukee transfer BJ Freeman

• The UW-Milwaukee transfer heard from UK assistant Chuck Martin this week, the Wildcats joining Kansas, Tennessee, Syracuse, Providence, Mississippi State, Missouri, Villanova, Arizona State, Arkansas, UCF, Xavier, Colorado, and Texas A&M among interested suitors.
• Freeman tells KSR+ he plans to make a decision in “three to four weeks” and says “maybe I could be one of the next Kentucky greats and Kentucky pros”
• The 6-6, 180-pound combo guard averaged 21.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game in 2023-24

March 25: Kentucky reaches out to Rutgers transfer Clifford Omoruyi

• The 6-foot-11, 240-pound center averaged 10.4 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.9 blocks in 2023-24
• Previously calling UK his “dream school” in high school, Omoruyi is rated as the No. 2 overall player in On3’s Transfer Rankings
• Kentucky joins Kansas, Baylor, UConn, St. John’s, Alabama, Auburn, USC, and Florida as interested schools
• This was the first known name of interest for the Wildcats in the portal since the team’s season ended