Whether you like it or hate it the transfer portal has radically transformed the offseason maneuvering in college basketball. Regardless of which side you sit on, the unintended consequences of NIL led to a major move early in the week. Mere weeks after winning a national championship at Florida, Denzel Aberdeen entered the portal and has found a new home at SEC rival Kentucky.
A 6-5 guard out of Orlando, Aberdeen did solid work in his home state of Florida at the high school level before joining Todd Golden’s very first team with the Gators in 2022. Aberdeen had actually committed to the school under predecessor Mike White, but maintained and headed to Gainesville to begin his collegiate career under Golden.
Kentucky lands Florida transfer Denzel Aberdeen
He’d play sparingly in his underclassmen years, only coming off the bench and with somewhat limited minutes. Aberdeen averaged just a few points a game in each of those seasons, and actually rarely saw the court as a true freshman. He showed signs of great potential, including a 20-point performance in the SEC Tournament his sophomore season, but didn’t really get those opportunities until the next year.
Aberdeen’s junior season is when he started to showcase that potential, earning more consistent minutes as an important bench option for Golden and the Gators. He’d average 7.7 points per game while making 35% of his 3-pointers as that useful reserve for Florida, but there were moments when we saw that untapped ability shine through.
During early February, the Gators had several important players missing games due to injuries, notably playing without Walter Clayton Jr., Alijah Martin, and/or Alex Condon at times that month. Aberdeen stepped into a larger role during his five starts, including a pair of 20-point outings and key minutes in the team’s upset win at Auburn.
Aberdeen was back in his bench role for the rest of the season, including the six-game run to the national championship in March and April. He scored 12 points against Maryland in the Sweet Sixteen and had 7 in the title game over Houston. However, there was plenty of reason for excitement for his senior season, especially with Clayton, Martin, and other talented names leaving the program.
Instead of a larger role, perhaps as a star guard for the Gators, Aberdeen entered the transfer portal and already found a new suitor in Kentucky. Not even three weeks after winning a national championship, likely the finest achievement of his basketball career, Aberdeen is out of the program and finds a new landing spot at a conference rival.
In the end, money spoke far louder than loyalty, as Aberdeen should collect a sizeable NIL deal in Lexington as a result of this move. He could’ve been the next Clayton or Martin as a leader for the Gators, but instead Golden and his staff have to look elsewhere to keep building that roster for a potential repeat effort. This isn’t a backbreaking loss for the Gators but a disappointing one.
On the other hand, Kentucky gains an intriguing guard with significant postseason experience, albeit someone we’ve yet to see in a major role for more than a few weeks. Can he live up to that major NIL paycheck and heightened expectations with the Wildcats? Are there more major moves to come from Mark Pope and that Kentucky contagion this week?