The money will start flowing now that the offseason is in full swing and players in the transfer portal are beginning to commit to new teams. That last sentence will make us all feel some type of way about the direction the sport is heading, but that is not what I am here to discuss. I am here to discuss the transfer portal and the mass amount of talent it has accumulated in the last week and a half.
Following the transfer portal can be challenging, especially trying to determine which players have eligibility left and which have exhausted their eligibility. There are a lot of guys fighting for the extra year. There is a lot of money exchanging hands, most life-changing, that players want to get their hands on. Let the kids get their money while they still can; nothing after this is guaranteed.
When the transfer portal opened last week, some big names entered immediately. Everyone knew that the big-time names would roll in as the sport got closer to the end of the regular season. If Tuesday was any indication of how the next few weeks will go, the portal will gain many big names who will be playing at new schools.
Wednesday was a lighter day in the portal regarding the quantity of players, but it was big on quality. The list of players includes two athletic shot-blocking big men, two athletic guards who both played in the SEC and a projected lottery pick in the 2026 draft. There is a ton of talent out there, which is good, considering many teams are entirely flipping their rosters. Here are the 10 best transfers from Wednesday, April 2nd, 2025.
No. 10 Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn - Illinois Fighting Illini
5.9 points, 1.6 rebounds, .5 assists
The Illini have seen some transfers, and all will have some effect on the team. Gibbs-Lawhorn wasn't playing much for Illinois, and when he was playing, he didn't impact the game much. The guard was a highly touted recruit, but it has not worked out at Illinois.
Gibbs-Lawhorn is an athletic guard who can be elite in transition. He is explosive and, when given the time, is hard to keep out of the lane. He didn't get much playing time because the Illini have no shooting, and Gibbs-Lawhorn isn't an outstanding shooter. The consensus is that the guard will drop down to a mid-major school where he can shine.
No. 9 Shawn Phillips Jr. - Arizona State Sun Devils
5.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, .6 assists
Another Arizona State big man in the portal. If they have two of the best big men in the portal, how did they only win 13 games? Phillips is another guy with a high ceiling but has never put it all together. He has had some big-time highlights and will have a long list of suitors, which will keep him on this list.
Phillips Jr. is great off the pick-and-roll because he is quick enough to get by his defender for an easy dunk. The same can be true about Phillips Jr’s ability to catch the lob and throw down an easy dunk. The most significant wow factor for Phillips Jr. is his ability to be one of the game's true elite shot blockers. If he goes somewhere he can get minutes, he will turn elite on the defensive end of the ball.
No. 8 Matas Vokietaitis - Florida Atlantic Owls
10.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, .3 assists
Florida Atlantic played at one of the fastest paces in the country, and its main goal was to score as quickly as possible. Vokietatits was a guy who took that to heart and took smart shots. He was so good that he was named to the American Athletic All-Freshman team and earned the Conference Freshman of the Year.
Florida Atlantic's former stars have had great success on the big college basketball stage. The Lithuanian is hoping he can be the next one to succeed. The big man shot almost 70% from the floor and is one of the best offensive rebounders in the American Athletic. He isn't going to shoot threes at all. He will be an old-school big man. Vokietaitis has not even scratched the surface of his potential. He is going to be a star.
No. 7 Barry Evans - Bryant Bulldogs
13.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 2.7 assists
Bryant was one of the best low-major programs in the country; they proved that when they could give Michigan State all they could handle in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Evans transferred to Bryant after spending two seasons at St. Bonaventure, finally received starter minutes, and had a breakout season.
The forward was one of the most underrated players in the America East. Much of that is due to the players on his team taking all of the headlines. He is a good three-point shooter, efficient from the floor, and can play fast. Bryant played extremely fast, and Evans was one of the players who was a facilitator in the offense. I don't know if he can power conference basketball. It may not matter because his old coach at Bryant is now the coach at VCU.
No. 6 LeJuan Watts - Washington State Cougars
13.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.4 assists
Washington State had a sneaky good team, and Watts followed Cougars head coach David Riley to Wazzu from Eastern Washington. The West Coast Conference was good for the forward, leading him to a breakout year. That breakout year allowed him to go into the portal and try to improve his situation in a power conference.
Watts is one of those rare guys who can play all five positions on the floor, and he often did for the Cougars. He was their primary ball handler most nights and is excellent on the pick-and-roll, passing into the paint. Watts can run the floor and shoot the lights out. He will be a prized possession for someone in the transfer portal. It could be a Blue Blood.
No. 5 Jayden Dawson - Loyola Chicago Ramblers
13.9 points, 3.1 rebounds, 1.9 assists
The Ramblers just finished playing in the NIT semifinals. Their success in that event has much to do with their junior guard. He had a great tournament, which capped off a great season in Atlantic 10 play for the junior from Omaha. Dawson is another mid-major who saw increased minutes and had a breakout season.
The junior carried the Ramblers on the offensive end all season long. In the NIT second round against San Francisco, he put on a show for the country to watch. He scored 35 points with 14 made baskets, four threes, and shot over 50% from the floor. That is what the teams in the portal will try and harness. The guard is already on track to be one of the best shooters in the country.
No. 4 Duke Miles - Oklahoma Sooners
9.4 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists
Miles has had an interesting career in college basketball. He started at Troy and then transferred to High Point, where he was a star. He used the year at High Point to transfer to Oklahoma, where he helped play a key role in guiding the Sooners to the NCAA Tournament. Miles was granted a sixth year of eligibility due to an injury-filled year at Troy.
The height of Miles's ceiling depends on whether he goes to a mid-major or stays at the Power Five level. If he stays power five, he will be a valuable role player who is an excellent three-point player and can defend. If he goes to the mid-major route, he will be a star, especially if Miles can continue to shoot well over 40% from deep like he did this year.
No. 3 Riley Kugel - Mississippi State Bulldogs
9.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists
There is something about a guy who can start on two different SEC teams and score under 10 points a game on both teams. Kugel has played for two teams that have won a lot and has experience playing in the NCAA Tournament. This gets mentioned a lot, but there is something about players with experience. They often make the best leaders and know what it takes to win games in March.
Wherever Kugel ends up, which will likely be in the SEC somewhere, he will score about 10 points, haul in about three rebounds, and tally about one helper per game. How can I be so sure? That is his exact stat line for all three seasons he has been in college. He is one of the most consistent players in the country. He is a great defensive player and will provide extreme value on that end of the floor. Kugel isn't flashy, but you don't have to be to be successful.
No. 2 Pharrel Payne - Texas A&M Aggies
10.4 points, 5.1 rebounds, .4 assists
Payne has improved every year of his career, and he finally saw it pay off by making the NCAA Tournament. The big man had a wail of a tournament and showed everyone that he had a tremendously high ceiling. It is just a matter of trying to get him to be consistent. He entered with a no-contact tag; will he follow his coach to Maryland?
In the NCAA Tournament, Payne scored 25 points with 10 rebounds in a win over Yale and followed that up with 26 points and five rebounds in the second-round loss to Michigan. He was a load in the paint and further validated why he was coveted in the transfer portal last season, coming from Minnesota. The big man is an elite offensive rebounder and dunker. He is a very athletic big man who can do everything in the post, including making high-quality block shots. If he hasn't already picked, there will be a lot of offers for Payne.
No 1. Jayden Quaintance - Arizona State Sun Devils
9.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists
It was a challenging year for the Sun Devils, losing 12 out of their last 13 games. Some of that was due to their star tearing his ACL at the end of February. Quaintance has undergone successful surgery on his knee and will be ready for contact in September. That bodes well for his new team and his prospects of being a top-five NBA draft pick in the 2026 NBA Draft, as many have projected.
Quaintance is a significant physical presence in the paint for the Sun Devils. The big man is good on the offensive end of the ball but makes his presence known on the defensive end. Quaintance was one of the nation's leaders in blocks before getting injured and is an elite rebounder. The pool of teams shrinks, knowing that he will only be in college for one more season, but whoever secures the commitment of the big man is going to have some of the best interior defense in the country.