UNC basketball 2026 transfer portal

I looked at all the ACC schools, we seem to have the most leaving, especially including Mingo not coming. That doesn't make sense for a school with UNCs history.
Coaching changes typically lead to more movement than average, plus we likely had the most talented roster of ACC teams with a coaching change.

That's a recipe for more players jumping into the portal.
 
Starting to feel like we might have to pivot from some of our initial portal targets.
The thing is, we (the public) don't know the initial portal targets and whether we are moving on.

We know Juke Harris did an on-campus visit, but there could be 5-10 other players who are in active negotiations for that slot. If we sign one of those, rather than Juke, it could be perceived as us "moving on" when in reality, the negotiations were occurring simultaneously.

I would say the same thing about the coach search. No one knew how aggressively we were pursuing Malone from the outset. To those following the "tier list," Malone was a fallback guy when all of our other options said no. In actuality, he was someone we targeted from the outset and continued to pursue while simultaneously negotiating with other coaches.
 
Also, there is no guarantee they will get anyone better to replace him. That's why I hated seeing Cadeau leave.
This -- our staff made the call to take the 'birds in the bush' rather than the 'birds in hand'.

The final roster will tell if that was a wise move or not, but gotta admit I am sweating a bit at this point
 
This -- our staff made the call to take the 'birds in the bush' rather than the 'birds in hand'.

The final roster will tell if that was a wise move or not, but gotta admit I am sweating a bit at this point
The bird in the hand had a bum ankle and the staff thought he was more of a parakeet than a peregrine falcon. Plus, the bird in the hand had a sibling bird that wanted to join the nest.
 
Juke expected to be 32nd pick in the draft.
Henri expected to go 36th.
Both in the 2nd round, but high in the 2nd round.

Will our NIL offerings be enough to sway them come to UNC (Juke) - and stay at UNC (Henri)?
Or will the siren call of the NBA lure them?
 
I looked at all the ACC schools, we seem to have the most leaving, especially including Mingo not coming. That doesn't make sense for a school with UNCs history.
We're living in the TikTok age, my dude. To these kids, UNC's "history" is precisely getting bounced by VCU in the first round. This generation couldn't care less that MJ was a Tar Heel. The times have changed.
 
The bird in the hand had a bum ankle and the staff thought he was more of a parakeet than a peregrine falcon. Plus, the bird in the hand had a sibling bird that wanted to join the nest.
Dixon and Luka were also basically passed over, not just the Mingos.

Hopeful we can improve on them (think we already have with Advalas > Luka), but remains to be seen with Dixon and Mingos. Btw, I don't disagree with passing on the Mingo duo, but will look bad for the program if we replace Dixon/Mingo with a Kyan Evans level player.

I would also assert that a front court of Jarin/Henri will get the shit beat out of them and not be able to rebound well enough to support a top 16 team (using sweet 16 as realistic goal). Not sure how we can improve there, but we need someone who can not get pushed around in the paint. Yet another probable fatal roster construction issue for the Heels next season...
 
Dixon and Luka were also basically passed over, not just the Mingos.

Hopeful we can improve on them (think we already have with Advalas > Luka), but remains to be seen with Dixon and Mingos. Btw, I don't disagree with passing on the Mingo duo, but will look bad for the program if we replace Dixon/Mingo with a Kyan Evans level player.

I would also assert that a front court of Jarin/Henri will get the shit beat out of them and not be able to rebound well enough to support a top 16 team (using sweet 16 as realistic goal). Not sure how we can improve there, but we need someone who can not get pushed around in the paint. Yet another probable fatal roster construction issue for the Heels next season...
I think Dixon flew the coop on his own and found a bush with a lot more money in it. If someone wants to give your birds millions of dollars, is the bird really in your hand?
 
Yes, if you want to keep him you match the cost or slightly increase it.

MM and staff clearly felt they could better utilize that reported $2million.

If they fail to replace Dixon with an equal or better player then it will certainly be a failure of roster management.
 
The bird in the hand had a bum ankle and the staff thought he was more of a parakeet than a peregrine falcon. Plus, the bird in the hand had a sibling bird that wanted to join the nest.
100%.

mingo as a yet-to-play CBB recruit coming off a serious injury with major, obvious holes in his game is not comparable to bird in the hand cadeau, who wasn't prefect but was a proven commodity in many respects. not to mention the brother package deal situation which should've been an automatic non-starter. the brother isn't good.
 
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Yes, if you want to keep him you match the cost or slightly increase it.

MM and staff clearly felt they could better utilize that reported $2million.

If they fail to replace Dixon with an equal or better player then it will certainly be a failure of roster management.
That may be, but I don't see the bird in the hand analogy as apt. You aren't giving up on something you have in favor of something better. You are valuing that player differently than someone else.

I don't think overpaying for the sake of roster continuity is a recipe for success in the portal era. I know the Cadeau/Evans issue is fresh in everyone's mind here, but I think that issue was about personality more than money. Both the Cadeaus and Hubert wanted a break from each other.
 
Yes, if you want to keep him you match the cost or slightly increase it.

MM and staff clearly felt they could better utilize that reported $2million.

If they fail to replace Dixon with an equal or better player then it will certainly be a failure of roster management.
What if they replace 80% of Dixon's production at less than 80% the cost?
 
What if they replace 80% of Dixon's production at less than 80% the cost?
Or replace 120% of Dixon’s production at 110% of the cost?

In general, I am not a big fan of overpaying for existing players for the sake of roster continuity. That is especially true when a new coaching staff is in place.

If Dixon wants to hit free agency, there is no reason to pay him above FMV simply because he was a Tar Heel last year. Once he hits the market, he should be paid at the price you believe he is worth.
 
Or replace 120% of Dixon’s production at 110% of the cost?

In general, I am not a big fan of overpaying for existing players for the sake of roster continuity. That is especially true when a new coaching staff is in place.

If Dixon wants to hit free agency, there is no reason to pay him above FMV simply because he was a Tar Heel last year. Once he hits the market, he should be paid at the price you believe he is worth.
The post I responded to said that letting Dixon go would be a "failure" if they didn't get an equal or better player.

I was responding to that precise argument.

But, yeah, you'd always like to get a better player as long as you're getting a better rate.
 
Well, I guess we'll know by the end of this week what the roster for next season will look like. Really need to get one or two more impact players.
 
The post I responded to said that letting Dixon go would be a "failure" if they didn't get an equal or better player.

I was responding to that precise argument.

But, yeah, you'd always like to get a better player as long as you're getting a better rate.
I got you. I was just riffing.
 
We're living in the TikTok age, my dude. To these kids, UNC's "history" is precisely getting bounced by VCU in the first round. This generation couldn't care less that MJ was a Tar Heel. The times have changed.
Also a lot of that may be the new staff looking to build their own team and upgrading for the new system/style.
 
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