Minnesota Basketball: Breaking down early 2024 transfer portal moves

It's no surprise that the first month of the 2024 college basketball offseason has been a hectic one, with NIL and the transfer portal combining to create a seemingly never-ending barrage of transfer decisions. Minnesota is just one of many Big Ten teams working their way through a busy time of year, with comings and goings up and down the roster.

Things seem to have slowed down significantly and with all intended transfers needing to be in the portal by May 1st, we are through the early first wave of transfer decisions. So, even with so much left to be decided and plenty of time until the 2024-25 season tips off, we have a much better idea of what the Gopher roster may look like for Ben Johnson's fourth season at the helm.

Interestingly enough, the most important decision still to come down the pipe may end up not being a transfer at all, but an NBA Draft decision around Cam Christie. Fresh off a surprisingly strong freshman campaign, Christie is testing the NBA waters and has been receiving draft projections in the mid-to-late second round. It seems to be a true 50/50 decision whether he'll be back in the collegiate ranks next winter.

Even with Christie's decision looming, it's the work Ben Johnson and staff do in the portal that will decide whether this team has a chance to be a contender in the Big Ten, or whether it will be another season without an NCAA Tournament trip in the Twin Cities.