What I’m hearing on the KU basketball roster, transfer portal money & other intel
As the Kansas men’s basketball team continues to fill out its roster, seven spots remain open.
So far, it’s easy to pencil in three projected starters: incoming freshman Taylen Kinney, Toledo transfer Leroy Blyden Jr. and Utah transfer Keanu Dawes.
Kansas still needs to add a starting-caliber wing and big man, as well as more depth across the board. In the frontcourt, that big man will likely compete with Paul Mbiya for a starting role.
The Jayhawks have hosted visits from a few different bigs in recent weeks. According to multiple reports, Kansas recently hosted Charleston big man Christian Reeves. Kansas is also expected to host USC center Gabe Dynes on Sunday, his agent Adam Papas told The Star.
As for the small forward spot? Kansas is waiting on Tyran Stokes’ decision. The No. 1 prospect in the class of 2026 is down to three schools: Kansas, Kentucky and Oregon.
There’s still much to learn, there.
As always, things change rapidly in the world of college sports. But here’s what I’ve been hearing about the transfer portal through conversations with insiders, NBA scouts and agents...
Huge NIL money in the portal
Sources around the NBA, including scouts and draft evaluators, have largely told me that more money is being spent in college this offseason than last. That has been echoed in my conversations with college basketball agents.
Last year, star freshmen like Darryn Peterson and AJ Dybantsa commanded huge paychecks, with the very top, elite talent reportedly drawing $5 million-plus. Two sources around the NBA said they expect more players to reach that threshold this season.
Reporting around NIL deals is difficult to track, especially as agents attempt to inflate numbers and schools/players refuse to disclose their deals.
But one such notable case appears to be big man Flory Bidunga. Reports have circulated online that he’ll earn more than $5 million with Louisville next season, which may have put him out of KU’s price range. Two NBA sources and a college source both echoed they’d expect Bidunga to make at least $5 million next season.
That speaks to the big man market right now, which is, in a word, hyperinflated. Teams need bigs, and the big men are taking advantage.
In that regard, it was interesting reporting on the late-stage negotiations between Mbiya and KU. His representatives insisted $1.6 million was the going rate for a big man in the transfer portal, and many of the aforementioned sources have given a similar number.
Right now, big men appear to be making the most of any position in the portal. It’s why a guy like Dynes, who averaged 2.9 points per game in 11.9 minutes per game for USC, has five or six visits scheduled to power-conference schools.
