Kentucky transfer target David Jones commits to Memphis

Scratch another transfer portal option off for John Calipari and the Kentucky basketball program.

St. John’s transfer David Jones, who heard from the Wildcats back in May, has committed to Memphis. He chose the Tigers over Arkansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, UConn and Xavier, among others.

Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports was the first to break the news of Jones’ decision.

Sources: St. John's grad transfer David Jones has committed to Memphis.

Averaged 13.2 PPG and 6.8 RPG last season.

A potential Player of the Year candidate in the American Athletic Conference.

— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) June 5, 2023

Kentucky kicked the tires on the 6-foot-6 forward out of the Dominican Republic on numerous occasions dating back to high school as a member of the 2020 recruiting class. He took an unofficial visit to Lexington back in February 2020 before ultimately committing to DePaul six months later on August 31. The former four-star recruit enrolled the following January and stayed two seasons with the Blue Demons, playing just nine games in year one before exploding in year two. He went from averaging 5.1 points and 2.7 rebounds as a freshman to 14.5 points and 7.4 rebounds as a sophomore, shooting 44.5% from the field and 30% from three as one of the program’s go-to offensive weapons.

Jones then hit the portal in April 2022, Kentucky again expressing early interest before deciding it wasn’t a fit with the likes of Oscar Tshiebwe, Jacob Toppin, Daimion Collins and Chris Livingston expected to take significant roles. He wound up at St. John’s, going on to average 13.2 points and 6.8 rebounds while shooting 39.2% from the field, 30% from three and 78.5% at the line in 25.7 minutes per contest.

Now back in the portal for a second time, the two sides talked and explored the possibility of a match, but Jones ultimately went with Penny Hardaway and the Tigers.

Where does Kentucky go from here? Look no further than Creighton forward transfer Arthur Kaluma, who heard from Kentucky upon withdrawing from the draft, along with the likes of Alabama, Texas and Texas Tech. Standing 6-7, 225 pounds, he’s a top-20 portal piece with real star potential, averaging 11.8 points and 6.0 rebounds in 29.3 minutes per contest for the Bluejays as a sophomore. Kaluma is a former top-50 recruit with Elite Eight experience, a clear Chris Livingston replacement (and potential upgrade).

Calipari has to seal the deal on that one.