With the transfer portal officially opening on Monday, Kentucky is reaching out to numerous players. Following Lamont Butler’s departure and Kerr Kriisa’s uncertain future, the Kentucky Wildcats are expected to focus on acquiring a point guard from the transfer portal.
The Wildcats are already in pursuit of one of the top talents available.
According to Joe Tipton of On3 Sports, Kentucky is one of the programs showing interest in UNLV transfer Dedan Thomas, who is ranked as the top overall transfer by 247 Sports. Other schools competing for his services include Florida, UCLA, and Gonzaga.
Thomas, a native of Las Vegas, entered the portal on March 17 after the departure of UNLV head coach Kevin Kruger. The sophomore guard was named Third Team All-Mountain West, averaging 15.6 points, 4.7 assists, and 2.0 rebounds per game, with a 35.3% shooting mark from beyond the arc. As a freshman, he averaged 13.6 points and 5.1 assists per game, starting all 34 games for the Runnin’ Rebels, who finished 18-15.
Kentucky has taken a cautious approach to the portal, focusing on its Sweet 16 matchup against No. 2 Tennessee in the Midwest Regional. Mark Pope’s inaugural recruiting class ranked No. 5 nationally and included important transfers like Otega Oweh, Andrew Carr, and Amari Williams. However, the Wildcats are poised to lose several key players, creating a need for reinforcements.
Once their tournament run concludes, Kentucky is expected to be aggressive in acquiring a new point guard. It is worth noting that UNLV recently hired Josh Pastner as its new head coach.