College basketball transfer portal boom: 1 in 3 players now on the move

The men's college basketball landscape has been shaken up by the transfer portal. As of Friday afternoon, over 2,000 players have announced their intentions for the 2026-27 season. This equals 35 percent or every 1 in 3 players in the sport. With a roster of 15, five are on the way out.

Some of the top players available in the portal are Kansas center Flory Bidunga, BYU guard Robert Wright III and Wake Forest guard Juke Harris. Out of the entire pool, a total of three players have come from Michigan and UConn, who played in this year's National Championship game.

The portal drew around 2,100 players in 2024 and nearly 2,754 players last year, but this year is expected to surpass the record over the 15-day window.

Why would any player wait to enter? A number of reasons could be a contributing factor. One of the biggest is stalled negotiations with their respective team. But basketball, unlike football, there's not much competition for spots, especially as a key contributor. This leads to players wanting to grab a better opportunity.

As the window comes to the end of the first week soon, expect many players to find new homes.

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