Butler Basketball finished 15-20 this past season, ending up in the bottom tier of the Big East. They lost four of the top five scorers this offseason, including the frontcourt trio of Patrick McCaffery, Andre Screen, and Boden Kapke.
The Bulldogs landed two frontcourt transfers so far in former Gonzaga forward Michael Ajayi and Drayton Jones, a 6’10 big man from South Carolina State who produced 13 ppg and was named to the All-MEAC squad. But arguably the biggest pickup yet came this weekend in Yohan Traore, a 6’10 forward from France who was originally a 5-star prospect out of high school.
Butler has officially landed SMU transfer Yohan Traore. He has committed and already signed the program. Also has played at Auburn and UC Santa Barbara.
— Lukas Harkins (@hardwiredsports) April 26, 2025
Traore (6-10) started 16 of 32 games for SMU, averaging 6.1 points and 3.2 rebounds. https://t.co/vsJgxcByVI
After playing limited minutes as a freshman at Auburn, Traore transferred to UC Santa Barbara, where he produced 14.5 ppg and 5.1 rpg. After that, he moved back up a year ago to SMU. The junior started 16 games this past season, averaging 6.1 ppg and 3.2 rpg on 50% shooting from the field.
Although he hasn’t played up to his previous 5-star standards, Traore has still shown himself to be a capable big man. However, whether he’s good enough to play big minutes at the Big East level is a major question. Traore can’t spread the floor, so he can only be a center. That can work out at Butler, with him and Jones potentially combining for 40 mpg at the five-spot next season. Some teams, even in the Big East, can’t say that right now.
SMU was 18.1 points per 100 possessions worse with Traore in the game this season, per Hoop Explorer.
— Kevin Sweeney (@CBB_Central) April 26, 2025
The year before, UCSB was 17.1 points per 100 possessions worse with Traore in the game.
Butler will be the latest team to bet on the former top-25 recruit’s talent. https://t.co/XUazv55aLO
With how few high-major caliber bigs left in the transfer portal, landing Traore should still be considered a win for Butler Basketball and its hopes of competing next year. But as the advanced analytics say, he hasn’t had much of a winning impact on the court. Coach Thad Matta needs to find a way to unlock his full potential while being a positive on the court.