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Best fits: 10 college basketball transfers who are perfect for new teams
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- Best fits: 10 college basketball transfers who are perfect for new teams
Many of the top men's college basketball transfers are off the board as rosters are starting to shape up ahead of the 2026-27 season .
But transfer portal rankings are hardly an exact science, and best fit is usually a better indicator for future success than anything.
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While Yaxel Lendeborg , a first-team All-American in 2025-26, was rated the No. 1 player in the portal and delivered Michigan a national championship, UConn center Tarris Reed Jr. , one of the best players of the NCAA Tournament in 2026, was rated outside the top 75 as a portal prospect in 2024 by 247Sports' Composite.
Top 40 available players: College basketball transfer portal rankings
The deadline to enter the transfer portal is April 21, and impactful players are still entering the market each day.
Here's a look at our best fits so far of players that have already committed in the 2026 transfer portal:
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10 transfers that are perfect fits in college basketball
Stefan Vaaks , Illinois
Former Providence guard Stefan Vaaks will fit right in with Illinois, which is developing a reputation for European standouts.
The Estonian will likely join a starting lineup that consists of Andrej Stojakovic , David Mirkovic and Tomislav Ivisic , who all averaged double figures last season. A 6-7 sharpshooter, Vaaks averaged 15.8 points with 2.5 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game last season for the Friars as a true freshman.
Illinois had a void at guard this offseason after Keaton Wagler declared for the NBA Draft, and in steps Vaaks.
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Dedan Thomas, Houston
Houston is almost assuredly losing star guard Kingston Flemings , a projected top-10 pick in the upcoming NBA Draft. It'll aim to replace him with LSU transfer Dedan Thomas, one of the best playmaking guards available.
USA TODAY's No. 16 overall transfer, Thomas averaged 15.3 points with 6.5 assists per game last season for the Tigers, and is poised to take over as Houston's lead ball handler with Flemings and multi-year starter Milos Uzan out of the picture.
Houston has been fueled by its guard play under coach Kelvin Sampson, going from Marcus Sasser and Jamal Shead to LJ Cryer and Emanuel Sharp to Flemings, Uzan and Sharp in consecutive seasons. Thomas will be asked to do a lot next season as Houston loses three starting guards.
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David Punch , Texas
David Punch emerged as one of the best defenders in the country last season at TCU , and averaged 14.1 points with 6.8 rebounds and two assists in a do-it-all role for the Horned Frogs. It was a surprise when he entered the portal, but less of a surprise when he chose the hometown Longhorns.
Punch is from Harker Heights, Texas, less than an hour drive from Austin, where Texas' campus is located. That, paired with Texas' need for a frontcourt mate next to returning center Matas Vokietaitis made for a perfect fit for second-year coach Sean Miller.
Punch averaged 1.9 blocks and 1.3 steals per game last season, and gives Texas a feisty defender that can guard multiple positions.
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Najai Hines, UConn
UConn needed a center to replace Tarris Reed this offseason, and it found a fit that made perfect sense. Not only did Najai Hines show flashes in the Big East last season as a true freshman, but he also did so at coach Dan Hurley's alma mater, Seton Hall .
Hines stats don't jump off the page — 6.5 points with 5.5 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game — but he came on late in the year for the Pirates and was a blue-chip high school recruit, rated as a top-10 center in the 2025 class, per 247Sports' Composite.
Hines is huge, listed at 6-10, 265 pounds. Hurley and the Huskies will look to develop him similarly to how they did with Reed after he transferred from Michigan.
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J.P. Estrella, Michigan
Tennessee forward J.P. Estrella committed to national champion Michigan out of the transfer portal.
Similar to fellow national championship opponent UConn, Michigan also has some holes to fill in its frontcourt with Yaxel Lendeborg off to the NBA Draft and center Aday Mara likely following suit.
The Wolverines will look to replace some of that production with former Tennessee forward J.P. Estrella, who averaged 10 points with 5.4 rebounds per game last season. The 6-11 redshirt sophomore scored seven points with seven rebounds against the Wolverines in the Elite Eight.
Coach Dusty May has been masterful at developing his frontcourt, and Estrella will be the latest to learn from the national championship-winning coach.
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Collin Chandler , BYU
It didn't take long for former Kentucky guard Collin Chandler to choose his next destination, as he committed to BYU, his hometown school, shortly after entering the transfer portal. He was formerly committed to BYU as a high school prospect, and took two years off after high school to fulfill a church mission in Africa.
Chandler averaged 9.7 points with 2.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists last season, also shooting 41% from 3-point range. He's also a perfect fit at BYU offensively, as the Cougars have finished No. 9 and No. 12 in adjusted offensive efficiency each of Kevin Young's seasons as head coach.
BYU also has a void at wing, with AJ Dybantsa likely off to the NBA Draft and Richie Saunders out of eligibility. He'll be one of BYU's top options next to returning guard Rob Wright III.
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Neoklis Avdalas , North Carolina
New North Carolina coach Michael Malone 's first portal recruit was one of the most intriguing available players in former Virginia Tech guard Neoklis Avdalas.
The 6-9 true freshman averaged 12.1 points with 3.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game last season for the Hokies , and showed flashes of being a potential NBA lottery pick with his unique playmaking and shooting ability at his size. Avdalas was on the NBA Draft radar after only his second career game, as he scored 33 points with five rebounds and six assists in an overtime win over Providence in November.
Avdalas is expected to take a huge step forward as a sophomore, especially under Malone's tutelage.
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PJ Haggerty , Texas A&M
PJ Haggerty #4 of the Kansas State Wildcats reacts after a three-point basket in the first half against the Houston Cougars at Fertitta Center on February 14, 2026 in Houston, Texas.
Former Kansas State guard PJ Haggerty ranked fourth nationally in 2025-26 averaging 23.4 points per game. Now at his fifth school in five seasons, Haggerty joins an offense tabbed as "Bucky Ball" under second-year coach Bucky McMillan, who runs a fast-paced offense predicated on taking shots early and often.
Sounds like a strong fit for one of the best pure scorers in college basketball.
Haggerty is also from Crosby, Texas, a Houston suburb that's less than a two-hour drive from College Station, Texas.
Derek Dixon, Arizona
Derek Dixon entered the portal after North Carolina hired Malone as its next coach, despite starting 16 games as a true freshman. His landing spot? Arizona, which made the Final Four in 2025-26 and has a glaring need at guard.
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Arizona loses Big 12 Player of the Year Jaden Bradley , its starting point guard, to graduation, and also loses leading scorer Brayden Burries , a surefire first-round pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.
Dixon averaged 6.5 points with 2.3 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game last season with the Tar Heels , and now finds himself as coach Tommy LLoyd's likely starting point guard.
Jaquan Johnson, Iowa State
Iowa State coach TJ Otzelberger has done work in the transfer portal since taking over the program, but his point guard in four of his five seasons has never changed.
Bradley transfer Jaquan Johnson will be tasked with replacing four-year starter Tamin Lipsey , one of the most accomplished players in school history. He has the means to do so, averaging 16.9 points with 3.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game last season despite being undersized at 5-11.
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With Otzelberger's portal track record, Johnson should fit quite nicely with Iowa State, who has to replace Lipsey, leading scorer Milan Momcilovic and All-American Joshua Jefferson .
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College basketball transfers who are best fits with new teams
