Transfer portal talk: What’s next for Kentucky after missing out on Arthur Kaluma?

It’s beginning to become a question of if, not when, Kentucky men’s basketball will add a player to its roster for next season from the NCAA transfer portal.

This Kentucky offseason — which is now nearly three months old — has been defined by a failure to add enough top-shelf players to the roster to make up for the player exodus that has occurred in recent weeks.

UK’s inability to land star big man Hunter Dickinson (Michigan to Kansas) from the transfer portal set a bad precedent during the early stages of portal recruitment this offseason, and it hasn’t gotten any better for head coach John Calipari since.

As a result, Kentucky’s roster outlook for next season is heavily skewed toward young players.

Arthur Kaluma to transfer to K-State

The latest high-profile failure from Kentucky in the transfer portal came Sunday afternoon, with the report that former Creighton forward Arthur Kaluma would be transferring to Kansas State.

Kaluma spent two seasons at Creighton, starting 67 games and averaging 11.1 points and 5.7 rebounds for his career with the Bluejays.

Kaluma’s current value as a transfer portal prospect was tied, in part, to the players still available in the portal, but according to college basketball statistician Evan Miyakawa’s rankings, Kaluma is the 16th-best player to have entered the transfer portal this offseason (out of more than 1,660 players).

Kaluma was also the only player among the top-30 portal players, per Miyakawa’s rankings, yet to pick a new school.

Nonetheless, Kaluma represented a skilled player at a position of need for the Wildcats, and Kentucky failed to even get Kaluma on campus for a recruiting visit.

247Sports national basketball analyst Travis Branham reported last week that Kaluma was expected to take a visit to Kentucky this week, something that obviously will not materialize.

Former Rutgers player Paul Mulcahy linked to UK

You could fill a novel with the names of players from the transfer portal linked to the Kentucky program in recent months.

The latest name to enter those pages is Paul Mulcahy, a versatile four-year player at Rutgers who entered the NCAA transfer portal Friday.

The New Jersey native was a key part of the revitalization of Rutgers men’s basketball in recent seasons, but he’s now looking for a new school for his fifth year of eligibility.

In addition to being a symbolic presence of Rutgers basketball’s rise to respectability, Mulcahy was also a fine player for the Scarlet Knights: As a senior, the 6-foot-7 guard averaged of 8.3 points, 4.9 assists and 3.6 rebounds. He also made 37% of his three-point shots.

During each of the last two seasons, Mulcahy also averaged better than one steal per game.

Mulcahy’s time at Rutgers saw him play extensive minutes at each of the point guard, shooting guard and small forward positions in recent seasons as well, adding value to his profile as a potential transfer portal addition.

Mulcahy went through the NBA Draft process earlier this year before opting to return to college basketball.

UK was listed as one of the early schools to contact Mulcahy when he hit the portal late last week.

According to Evan Miyakawa’s rankings, Mulcahy is the 35th-best player to have entered the transfer portal this offseason.

At this point in the proceedings, Mulcahy is the only player in the top 40 of those rankings without a new school.

UK adds another freshman, with more likely on the way

While Kentucky’s efforts in the NCAA transfer portal have come up empty, the Wildcats have still found a pathway to adding new players ahead of the 2023-24 season.

UK now has six projected freshmen on its roster for next season following the Monday morning announcement that class of 2023 small forward Jordan Burks committed to Kentucky.

Burks, who played in the Overtime Elite league last season with Hillcrest Prep, represents another member of the youth movement that Calipari has established this offseason.

It appears very likely that more young players with potential, but no prior college basketball experience, will be following Burks to Lexington.

247Sports national basketball analyst Travis Branham has logged Crystal Ball predictions for both Somto Cyril and Joey Hart to also come to Kentucky as first-year players.

Cyril is a physical center who also played in the Overtime Elite league and was originally part of the 2024 recruiting class. He is expected to reclassify to the 2023 recruiting group and join Kentucky a year ahead of schedule.

Hart is a shooting guard from Indiana who possesses a strong three-point shooting ability. He was formerly signed to play college basketball at Central Florida.

Should Branham prove to be correct and both Cyril and Hart go on to join the Wildcats, it would give Kentucky eight freshmen on the roster for next season.

Those eight freshmen would join second-year players Ugonna Onyenso and Adou Thiero on the team, as well as rarely used fifth-year guard Brennan Canada.

The potential to add more experienced players for next season still remains via the transfer portal, and the fact graduate transfers can enter the portal at any time.

But as we approach mid-June, it seems obvious that Kentucky projects to be one of the youngest teams in college basketball history next season.

Kentucky men’s basketball roster outlook

Here’s a current breakdown of the scholarship players joining and leaving the Cats from last season, along with the still existing question mark of where Antonio Reeves will play another college basketball season.

Incoming players: Aaron Bradshaw (freshman center), Jordan Burks (freshman small forward), Robert Dillingham (freshman guard), Justin Edwards (freshman small forward), Reed Sheppard (freshman guard), DJ Wagner (freshman guard).

Returning players: Brennan Canada (fifth-year guard), Ugonna Onyenso (sophomore forward), Adou Thiero (sophomore guard).

Outgoing players: Daimion Collins (forward, transferred to LSU), CJ Fredrick (guard, transferred to Cincinnati), Chris Livingston (forward, NBA Draft), Jacob Toppin (forward, NBA Draft), Oscar Tshiebwe (forward, NBA Draft), Cason Wallace (guard, NBA Draft), Lance Ware (forward, transferred to Villanova), Sahvir Wheeler (guard, transferred to Washington).

Yet to be announced: Antonio Reeves (guard, returning to college basketball).