Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- Several high-profile college basketball players have entered the transfer portal with significant implications for the 2027 NBA Draft.
- A number of these athletes are set to join new programs that have a history of developing NBA talent and providing exposure.
- Their performances next season could dramatically shift the draft board rankings in what is projected to be a weaker class.
NIL continues to reshape how prospects approach the NBA Draft. A grand total of 71 early entrants applied for the 2026 class ahead of last week's deadline, but only a fraction will actually keep their name in the pot after the Combine. Most non-lottery picks can earn higher paychecks in college than in the NBA; that means a lot of returners with NBA aspirations — and a lot of competitive bidding wars in the transfer portal.
There are still several noteworthy prospects in the portal who have not yet committed to a school. Allen Graves, Paul McNeil Jr., Milan Momcilovic and Tounde Yessoufou are just a few worth monitoring in the weeks ahead. That said, of the portal entrants who have picked a new school, here are 10 with major potential implications on the 2027 draft class.
Elyjah Freeman | Wing | Auburn → Texas
Elyjah Freeman started at D-II Lincoln Memorial before transferring to Auburn last season. Now he joins a loaded Texas squad under Sean Miller, which returns Matas Vokietaitis and adds other high-profile transfers such as David Punch and Isaiah Johnson. Freeman should give Miller a nice facsimile of Dailyn Swain, who's entering the NBA Draft after a breakout season.
Freeman's strengths and weaknesses do sincerely mirror Swain's as wiry, explosive athletes on the wing. Like Swain, Freeman has legitimate shake and wiggle as a ball-handler. He puts constant pressure on the rim and is a blur out in transition. He's also an active defender (2.8 STL%, 2.6 BLK%), with the rangy quality to thrive as either a free safety or an on-ball stopper.
He hit 34.3 percent of his 3s on lower volume at Auburn. Freeman's biggest swing skill, at least when it comes to NBA projection, is his jumper. If he can ramp up the 3-point volume, it will set up more drives and increase his utility as an off-ball, secondary playmaker type, which is presumably his role at the next level. He's less polished than Swain, no doubt, but Texas is a tremendous launchpad for Freeman as he looks to capitalize, potentially, on a weaker 2027 draft.
Kayden Mingo | Guard | Penn State → Baylor
Kayden Mingo flew under the radar at Penn State last season, but he was highly impactful for a freshman guard, averaging 13.7 points and 4.3 assists with a low turnover rate (15.3 TO%) and incredible defensive stick-to-itiveness (3.8 STL%). Now he moves to Baylor, where Scott Drew has shepherded his share of NBA talent in recent years.
An interesting subplot with Mingo is his brother Dylan, an incoming freshman and five-star recruit pegged as a potential lottery pick in 2027. Dylan was orginally committed to UNC, but the program went in another direction after hiring Michael Malone. He will now join his older brother in Waco.
Whether that's actually the best setup for either brother is up for debate, as Kayden and Dylan will now share the offensive pie, so to speak. But their built-in chemistry as brothers (and former high-school teammates) probably won't hurt. The primary focus for Kayden will be improving his 3-point shot (24.4 percent on 3.1 attempts at Penn State) and becoming a more dynamic scoring engine. If he does so, NBA teams will catch on.
Matt Able | Wing | NC State → North Carolina
Matt Able will test the 2026 NBA Draft waters, but a return to school — with a commitment to Michael Malone and North Carolina already on lock — seems inevitable. Able will be a younger sophomore with a real chance to break into the first-round conversation a year from now, especially in a weaker class. His freshman campaign under Will Wade at NC State wasn't without its bumps in the road, but NBA teams like a lanky, athletic wing who can fill it up from deep.
Able's shooting is his main calling card. He's a volume shooter, with unconventional but smooth mechanics, comfortable firing off of movement and from well behind the NBA 3-point line. He also deploys his long arms to full effect on the defensive end (3.3 STL%, 1.9 BLK%), with a chance to become a premium stopper and game-wrecker as his frame fills out.
The goal at UNC next season should be for Able to show more off the dribble and in the mid-range. He struggled a bit finishing at the rim, but he's a real athlete in transition with the coordination to become quite adept at attacking closeouts in the half court. If he can show more in the ancillary aspects of his game, while continuing to shoot the lights out from deep, Able will rocket up boards.
Neoklis Avdalas | Wing | Virginia Tech → North Carolina
Neoklis Avdalas came over from Greece last season after generating real NBA attention internationally. He made a somewhat odd choice of school in Virginia Tech, although the Hokies did give him tremendous freedom within the offense. He now joins what should be a talented UNC team, where Michael Malone's NBA scheme can help Avdalas showcase his talent in a more translatable fashion.
The Tar Heels are quietly putting together a really solid offseason under Malone, even with the Dylan Mingo departure. Avdalas is a unique player at 6-foot-9 with advanced passing chops (26.9 AST%), essentially a point guard in a forward's frame a la Egor Dëmin. He needs to get stronger and find ways to score more efficiently, particularly inside the arc, but NBA teams will always fall for a prospect with Avdalas' intersection of feel and size.
The Avdalas and Able additions really go hand-in-hand for the Tar Heels, as the former should do a great job of feeding the latter easy looks. If UNC can crank up the tempo and get Avdalas distributing in the open floor, while hopefully finding ways to augment his more limited half-court scoring, he could very well end up in the first round a year from now. Virginia Tech was a nice trial run, but UNC is a blue blood. Avdalas will have more eyeballs on him than ever.
Acaden Lewis | Guard | Villanova → Miami (FL)
Big things are on the horizon for Miami basketball under Jai Lucas. He continues to attract premium talent to South Beach, with the Hurricanes putting together an absolute slam-dunk portal class. Acaden Lewis will join returner Shelton Henderson and fellow transfer Somto Cyril as the Canes prioritize speed and athleticism at all positions.
Lewis is a natural floor general, averaging 4.3 assists per game as a freshman (33.7 AST%) with a comparatively low turnover rate (17.1 TO%). He led the Big East in steals (2.1 per game) and he's a silky-smooth lefty slasher, able to mix speeds and pressure the rim. Lewis desperately needs to become more efficient from 3-point range, but his soft touch on floaters and layups suggests room for improvement.
Miami will need to ensure proper spacing, but Lewis should fly up and down the court in transition, dropping lobs to Cyril and setting up Henderson (who's one of the most ferocious open-floor athletes in college basketball). If Lewis can hit more 3s and solidify his scoring profile even marginally, his distribution skills and two-way intangibles ought to capture NBA attention — especially in a weaker guard class.
Miles Byrd | San Diego State → Providence
Miles Byrd spent four years at San Diego State, following in the footsteps of Kawhi Leonard as an all-world defensive force. Now he heads to Providence, where new head coach Bryan Hodgson has put together a nifty portal class. It feels like the Friars are cooking with gas, and Byrd — who will be auto-eligible for the 2027 draft — is due for his moment in the sun among NBA crowds.
There's plenty to nitpick with Byrd, who can struggle to score efficiently, but NBA teams love a dribble-pass-shoot wing. Byrd is almost there, and he's also quite possibly the best perimeter defender in college hoops, with magnetized hands (6.0 BLK%, 4.0 STL%) that will draw comparisons to Matisse Thybulle and other defensive specialists who successfully made the NBA leap.
Byrd has steadily shot around 30 percent from deep for his career, but his healthy volume (4.3 attempts) and free throw numbers (79.5 percent) suggest real potency. He needs to shave off a couple turnovers here and there, but Byrd has utility as a supplementary ball-handler and connective passer. There's a lot more meat on the bone than with other high-level defensive pests in a similar vein. Don't be shocked if his NBA stock soars in the year ahead.
Moustapha Thiam | Cincinnati → Michigan
With Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr. both expected to keep their names in the 2026 draft, a door opens wide for Moustapha Thiam with the reigning champs in Ann Arbor. He couldn't have picked a better landing spot than with Dusty May, who has already delivered several bigs to the NBA in his brief tenure as Michigan head coach.
Thiam will need plenty of development, both physically and skill-wise, but he's a mobile 7-foot-2 center with gaudy shot-blocking (6.8 BLK%) and rebounding numbers. He has already added serious weight in two college seasons, currently listed at 250 pounds, and his 7-foot-6 wingspan is a natural deterrent for opponents hoping to venture down the lane for a shot at the rim.
If Thiam can actualize his potential as a true floor-spacer on offense — he shot 28.8 percent on 3s at low volume as a sophomore — NBA teams will find it hard to resist his two-way potential, especially on a Michigan team built for another deep run in March Madness. He's light on his feet, physical on the boards and really coming into his own as one of college basketball's premier defensive anchors. At Michigan, you can bet Thiam will put his best foot forward for NBA scouts.
John Blackwell | Wisconsin → Duke
John Blackwell was the consensus best guard available in the portal, with significant offers from a ton of college hoops heavyweights. In the end, he unsurprisingly landed at Duke, where he joins yet another loaded roster. In addition to several five-star freshmen, head coach Jon Scheyer returns key names like Patrick Ngongba, Cayden Boozer and Caleb Foster. Their portal class also includes former Belmont forward Drew Scharnowski, a dark horse for the 2027 NBA Draft cycle.
Blackwell is an eruptive scorer on the perimeter, hitting 38.9 percent of his 3s on over seven attempts per game at Wisconsin last season. He's automatic off the catch, with the physicality and stop-start handles to get downhill, sustain advantages and get to the free throw line on the regular.
More of a two-guard for the Badgers, Blackwell has said he wants more on-ball reps and more point guard responsbilities at Duke. He will be sharing a loaded backcourt, so expect Duke to lean into Blackwell's strengths as a shooter while Boozer and Foster set the table. But, even so, Blackwell's shot-making talent is more than enough to capture NBA attention under the bright lights in Durham.
Nikolas Khamenia | Duke → UConn
Nikolas Khamenia arrived at Duke last season with high expectations; there was hope that he could follow in Kon Knueppel's footsteps as the sweet-shooting, big wing sidekick to Cameron Boozer. That never really panned out, but UConn is an awesome landing spot. Khamenia plays with a real edge and he's the sort of high-feel, high-skill connector who is tailor-made for the Huskies' pro-style offense.
Khamenia's freshman season was a helpful reality check. He competes hard, but he operated at a noticeable strength deficit for the Blue Devils. Too often Khamenia died on screens or was bulldozed through as a defender. On the other end, he lacks an elite first step, which meant attacking closeouts and driving through physicality was a real challenge.
Still, there's so much to like. He makes sound decisions in the flow of the offense. He's a smart cutter, always relocating into open space, and he's a knockdown spot-up shooter. With more usage at UConn, Khamenia should showcase more of his passing chops; he's very perceptive and anticipatory, able to render quick decisions and find creative delivery angles at 6-foot-8. Dan Hurley will love coaching Khamenia, and Khamenia will love playing for Dan Hurley. This move deserves a lot more attention.
Flory Bidunga | Kansas → Louisville
Flory Bidunga is widely considered the top overall player in the transfer portal. He will test the NBA waters, but all signs point to him joining Louisville next season, where he will earn a handsome sum as part of college basketball's most transformative portal haul.
After a quiet freshman season, Bidunga was effectively Kansas' best player as a sophomore behind potential No. 1 pick Darryn Peterson. He fits a classic NBA mold as a rim-running, shot-blocking extraordinaire. Bidunga plays easily above the rim, where he converted 75 percent of his attempts last season. He's a hellacious rebounder, especially on the offensive glass, and he's a rangy defensive anchor. Bidunga's 7-foot-2 wingspan and mobility is put to great use (9.0 BLK%).
He's slightly undersized for a true center, but Bidunga's first and second jump are elite. He plays above his listed height and should have no trouble walling off the paint and wreaking havoc as a weak-side helper in the NBA. We shall see how frequently Louisville allows Bidunga to test the limits of his skill set on offense; there are real flashes of face-up scoring and Bidunga is very coorindated in the post. He won't turn the ball over carelessly. If he can show more as a short roll passer and intermediate threat, even without a viable 3-point shot, it's hard not to imagine Bidunga in the first round a year from now.
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