NCAA Basketball: 8 teams that should target Alabama transfer Jaden Shackelford

UCLA Bruins

The Bruins roster has been waiting on a couple of key NBA Draft decisions for months. They know that senior Chris Smith is gone but March Madness star Johnny Juzang is still going through the process. If he stays, Shackelford likely goes elsewhere. But if he goes, the shooting guard position opens up completely to allow the transfer to slide in.

Besides playing close to home, Shackelford would be going from one preseason top-10 team to another in UCLA. With Tyger Campbell, five-star freshman Peyton Watson and big men Cody Riley and Myles Johnson, this roster has everything one can ask for to be a Final Four contender. If the former Crimson Tide guard wants to win big but just wanted to do it closer to home, the Bruins may be the place to go.

USC Trojans

While the Bruins made it all the way to the Final Four, the Trojans did make an Elite Eight run, led by star big man Evan Mobley. But while he deservedly received all of the spotlight last season, Santa Clara transfer Tahj Eaddy was an unsung hero in the backcourt, second on the team with 13.6 ppg and first with 2.8 apg. His departure gives USC zero returning double-digit scorers to work with, although they did land Memphis transfer Boogie Ellis.

Shackelford plays the same position as Ellis but all three can start in the backcourt, as 6’8 guard Drew Peterson can simply slide over the power forward post, with Isaiah Mobley playing at the five. This lineup would allow the Alabama transfer to be the go-to option on offense and this would be an NCAA Tournament team. It might not be as good as rival UCLA on paper but Shackelford would have a much larger role on the offense overall.