Nearly 80 of the top-100 players in the 2026 transfer portal have flown off the board, but there are still numerous teams with massive holes on the depth chart. That’s a scary proposition at this point in the cycle, especially with the transfer portal closing at 11:59 p.m. ET Tuesday.

The phones are buzzing and every rock is being turned over in college basketball’s version of free agency.

College basketball transfer portal movement tracker: Grades for every top commitment from 2026 cycle

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Cameron Salerno

🏀 Notable team needs

Michigan: A wing to complement Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney and a big man to shore up the depth if Morez Johnson and/or Aday Mara go pro.

Michigan State: A quality center so Jeremy Fears Jr., Coen Carr, Jordan Scott, Kur Teng and a dazzling recruiting class can be an elite Big Ten contender.

Kansas: A high-level center, in addition to winning the sweepstakes for No. 1 recruit Tyran Stokes.

Texas Tech: Multiple max-contract guys — one in the frontcourt and one in the backcourt — to round out a roster that has numerous questions beyond coveted Hofstra transfer point guard Cruz Davis and prized freshman guard DaKari Spear. 

Kentucky: A real-deal off-ball sniper with size to make up for whiffing on top 4-man targets, Sebastian Rancik and Donnie Freeman.

LSU: Best player available. Kentucky transfer forward Mo Dioubate is the lone player on Will Wade’s roster at the moment.

Arkansas: Center so that Furman transfer Cooper Bowser can be a role player, not a featured starter.

St. John’s: A big man with some physicality to add a different dimension to the Donnie Freeman-Ruben Prey combination. 

Louisville: A 4-man who can serve as a connector, ball-mover and floor-spacer.

Virginia: Secondary guard to complement Chance Mallory and Sam Lewis.

Duke: A go-to guard who can be a bucket-getter and provide 3-point volume complement Cayden Boozer, Patrick Ngongba and Drew Scharnowski. 

So, who are the top names on the board? Let’s dive into the top available free agents at each position.

Initiator point guards

1. Tylen Riley, Tulsa: Riley engineered Tulsa to a NIT Championship game appearance and is one of the most coveted mid-major stars in the portal. Riley uses shake, a tight handle and terrific footwork to generate a ton of paint touches. Oklahoma and Cincinnati are in the thick of it here.

2. Pop Isaacs, Texas A&M: Isaacs shot 40% from downtown on 154 attempts last year. The well-traveled veteran has never been able to shake the turnover bug, but he’s got a strap. 

3. Malik Mack, Georgetown: Mack is clearly a high-major point guard option, but nothing comes super easy in his game yet. The hope is that another situation with more shooting could unlock new levers of Mack’s game after two so-so seasons at Georgetown.

Editor’s note: Mack committed to Providence on Tuesday. 

Two-guards

1. John Blackwell, Wisconsin: Blackwell is one of the best free agents on the board. Blackwell is a net-shredder (39% on 247 attempts), who can put it on the deck for get-off-me drives. He’s a plug-and-play 15 points per game scorer, who can do all the dirty work, too. Duke is in the driver’s seat.

2. Matt Able, NC State: Able is going to be a really, really good player very soon. The former top-30 recruit has terrific positional size (6-foot-6 and 205 pounds) and a polished offensive game. A full offseason in the weight room could do wonders. With the right situation, Able has breakout written all over him in 2026-27. UNC is firmly involved with both Brown and Able as Michael Malone looks to build out his backcourt.

3. Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, UNLV: Gibbs-Lawhorn is a little undersized, but that didn’t matter at all last year. He led the Mountain West in scoring and was efficient doing so (41% on 3-pointers, 57% on 2-pointers). He’s a pure bucket who showed answers to the test at every single level of the floor. 

Shooters

1. Milan Momcilovic, Iowa State: Momcilovic is all-in on the NBA Draft right now, but if he returns to college, the best shooter in the sport will have a host of suitors. Unloading the clip for Momcilovic would make a ton of sense for Mark Pope and Kentucky after numerous high-profile swings and misses. 

2. Paul McNeil, NC State: McNeil made 105 treys at a 43% clip last season. He is an exceptional movement shooter, who can sneakily get to the foul line at a high rate to diversify his profile. The 6-5, 190-pound guard has two years of eligibility and will be a threat to lead any high-major league in treys next year. New NC State coach Justin Gainey is trying hard to keep him in Raleigh. McNeil could have three different coaches in three years at NC State (Kevin Keatts, Will Wade and Gainey) if he chose to stay.

3. Joson Sanon, St. John’s: The 6-5 guard is on the move again, looking for his third school in three years. The jumper is the sell. He’s a career 35% 3-point sniper who can get it going in the midrange, too. But shot selection and Sanon’s impact on winning are questions at this point. 

Wings

1. Juke Harris, Wake Forest: Harris is a dangerous movement sniper who showed his feel for the game as a cutter, slasher, rebounder and secondary creator. Harris can play in pick-and-rolls, but he’s most dangerous off the ball. Michigan and Tennessee are certainly in the mix here, but the NBA beckons.

2. Dwayne Aristode, Arizona: Aristode is so toolsy. The 6-8, 215-pound freshman was a top-30 recruit in the 2025 class for good reason. He commands a sky-high price tag, but the combination of size, shooting and defensive versatility is tantalizing. 

3. LeJuan Watts, Texas Tech: Watts’ bootyball game didn’t translate as well as hoped at Texas Tech, but Watts will still have a real market as a bounce-back candidate. He’s an unselfish playmaker who needs to make more 3-pointers and play with more force to hit his ceiling.

Forwards

1. Allen Graves, Santa Clara: Graves is a five-tool player who broke out in a huge way to help Santa Clara earn an at-large bid. The 6-9, 225-pound forward creates havoc on defense (4.8% block rate and 4.8% steal rate). He can be a jumbo playmaker (2.5-to-1, assist-to-turnover ratio). He’s a dangerous pick-and-pop threat from downtown. He can put it on the deck and drive it. He can play in post-ups and has proved to be a high-feel cutter. Graves’ first focus is the NBA Draft, but if he returns to school, teams like hometown LSU and Duke are primed to have a check with his name on it.

2. Paulius Murauskas, St. Mary’s: Murauskas is a yoked forward who combines outstanding positional size with an inside-out game. The 6-8, 235-pound forward uses backdowns to obliterate smaller defenders, and he can do a little bit of everything as a passer, handler and spot-up shooter. Murauskas is more of a 4-man who can play on the wing than vice versa, but he defends multiple positions and impacts the game positively in an abundance of ways.

Despite interest from everywhere, Murauskas is currently expected to follow his long-time coach, Randy Bennett, to Arizona State.

3. Sebastian Williams-Adams, Auburn: Williams-Adams is a splashy late entry to the portal. The 6-foot-8, 230-pound forward can guard all five positions and plays with a ton of force and fire. He’s still a bit of a bull in a china shop, but if he refines his game, Williams-Adams can be a load. He played for JL3 Elite in AAU, so Miami coach Jai Lucas has a ton of ties to this one, but Vanderbilt has surged as a major player.

Big men

1. Massamba Diop, Arizona State: No big man runs the floor as smoothly as Diop, and he can put it on the deck unlike any other center in this class. Diop also has a huge catch radius in the pick-and-roll game, with burgeoning touch out to the 3-point stripe. The 7-1 soon-to-be sophomore has no idea how good he can be. St. John’s and Gonzaga are the top ones in the thick of it, but it’s hard to imagine Arkansas and Kansas not trying to get involved here with their current depth chart situations. 

2. Moustapha Thiam, Cincinnati: Thiam is a few tweaks away from being a menace. The 7-footer can be a fearsome rim protector and true defensive anchor, but offensively, there’s so much meat on the bone. If he refines his shot selection and plays with more force, Thiam can play in the NBA. Michigan, to no surprise, is sniffing around this one, but Thiam has a bunch of suitors.

3. Franck Kepnang, Washington: Kepnang has been around forever, but injuries have opened the door for the 6-foot-11 big man to get another year. He cleans the glass, protects the rim and plays with real energy. He’s just limited offensively, but at this point in the portal, some of these teams just need high-major size. Kepnang certainly has that, but don’t expect much more than a play-finisher offensively. 

Not now, but perhaps a year from now, the Dallas Cowboys laid the framework Monday for Minnesota Vikings kicker Will Reichard to become a very rich man. Dallas paid its premier kicker, handing Brandon Aubrey a mega extension just three days before the NFL draft.

Dallas reset the kicker market, and that only strengthened Will Reichard’s long-term outlook in Minnesota.

Aubrey is the gold standard among NFL kickers, and Reichard is gunning for the title.

Aubrey’s New Deal Clarifies the Vikings’ Kicker Future

Dude got paid; so will Reichard in 2027.

DAL Locks Aubrey In for the Long Haul

There’s no mystery about Aubrey’s long-term status. ESPN’s Todd Archer wrote Monday, “The Dallas Cowboys have made Brandon Aubrey the highest-paid kicker in NFL history. Aubrey agreed to a four-year extension that makes him the first kicker to earn $7 million per year and includes $20 million guaranteed, agents Todd France and A.J. Stevens of Athletes First told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.”

“A source said Aubrey’s signing bonus is $8.25 million. Earlier this offseason, the Houston Texans made Ka’imi Fairbairn the highest-paid kicker on average annual salary at $6.5 million. Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker had the largest guarantee at $17.75 million.”

Every offseason brings a new version of “x player is the highest-paid player at x position in NFL history.” Aubrey is merely the latest.

Reichard in 2027

Reichard’s 2025 season was phenomenal, converting 33 of 35 field goal attempts. This consistency sharply contrasted with years of kicking instability the Vikings had experienced, a trend Reichard completely reversed in a single season.

He has also been automatic on extra points, an aspect of the game that previously caused the team considerable trouble but is now completely secure. As a result, the Vikings have not missed a single extra point and rank among the league leaders in field goal percentage.

Equally impressive is his range. Reichard has successfully converted 11 kicks from 50 yards or more, placing him among the league’s elite long-distance kickers. This impressive range is a game-changer for Minnesota’s offense, needing only to get to the 42-yard line to have a chance.

In sum, Reichard has provided the Vikings with a truly exceptional kicker. He delivers reliability, impressive range, and consistent, drama-free performance — all achieved in two seasons.

Comparing the Two

Aubrey actually missed some kicks in 2025, believe it or not. He connected on 36 of 42 last season, which is actually mediocre by his standards. From 50 and beyond, Aubrey missed 6 times on 17 tries, another head-scratching development for the best in the business.

Conveniently, no Cowboys-themed analysts mentioned the 2025 stat line when he reached his monster contract this week. It was all sunshine and rainbows.

But in the backdrop, Reichard earned All-Pro recognition in 2025. Aubrey did not. By the numbers, Reichard took the mantle as the NFL’s best kicker, if only for a year. It’s a long way of saying that Aubrey and Reichard will have quite the battle in 2026, albeit from afar.

CBS Sports‘ Zachary Pereles on Aubrey’s new deal: “What truly sets him apart, though, is his distance. His six career field goals from 60+ yards are most in NFL history. In 2025 alone he made three such kicks, most in a single season in league history. In February, reports emerged that Aubrey sought nearly $10 million per season.”

“Instead, the Cowboys placed a second-round tender on Aubrey, which would have paid him roughly $5.8 million in 2026. Though his new deal doesn’t come close to the $10 million figure annually, Aubrey does become the game’s richest at the position and get major guarantees; Dallas, meanwhile, retains one of the league’s very best and a true offensive weapon.”

Vikings Fans’ Prayers Answered

Have you ever seen the Meek Mill meme, featuring Michael Jordan holding the NBA Championship trophy? The caption says, “I used to pray for times like this.” That’s Vikings fans‘ relationship with Reichard.

Dating back 28 years, purple fans have been ruined by various kickers, basically relentlessly, with the exception of Ryan Longwell from 2006 to 2011. In these three decades, there’s always something wrong with the kicker, whether he blows it in a game’s most crucial spot, can’t make extra points, or generally stinks.

Reichard, through two seasons, has changed that. He’s steady as hell and has given Vikings fans no reason to panic. Not yet, anyway.

So when extension talks emerge next offseason, the same crowd will have no problem handing Reichard $9 million per year or whatever the number may be.

And he’s young. Reichard turned 25 in January. He could conceivably kick for the Vikings until 2040.

The San Antonio Spurs lost star Victor Wembanyama early on Tuesday night after he crashed down to the court and awkwardly smacked his head on the floor.

Early in the second quarter of the Spurs’ Game 2 matchup with the Portland Trail Blazers, Wembanyama went to make a move past Jrue Holiday in the middle of the lane. But as he spun around, Wembanyama collided with Holiday and lost his balance.

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That sent Wembanyama crashing face-first down to the floor at the Frost Bank Center. His chin collided with the court hard, and he remained down, clearly shaken up for quite some time under the rim.

Eventually, Wembanyama stood up and jogged back to the locker room on his own.

Eli Manning retired in 2019 and missed out in his first year of Hall of Fame eligibility in 2025. He was passed over again earlier this year but still fired back at a fan who claimed one of his contemporaries was the better quarterback.

On Tuesday, a social media user floated a theory about former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan. Ryan, who now oversees football operations as the team’s president, last played in an NFL game in 2022. He announced his retirement in 2024, making him eligible for Hall of Fame consideration beginning in 2028.

“Matt Ryan was a better QB than Eli Manning… people just worship rings. Agree or nah,” the post read.

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New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning greets Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan after their game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, on Oct. 22, 2018. (Jason Getz/USA TODAY Sports)

Manning caught wind of the suggestion and weighed in, pointing to the two Super Bowl-winning teams he was part of during his standout run with the New York Giants.

“I will ponder this while I play with my rings…,” Manning wrote in a quote-tweet.

Ryan’s statistical production surpasses Manning’s, at least on paper. He was named NFL MVP in 2016, an honor Manning never earned. Ryan is also the most accomplished player in Falcons history and finished his career with more than 62,000 regular-season passing yards, compared with Manning’s 57,023.

NFC head coach Eli Manning leads a huddle during a practice session before the NFL Pro Bowl at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on Feb. 4, 2023. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)

Both quarterbacks were selected to four Pro Bowls, but the key difference lies in championships. Manning won the Super Bowl in 2007 and 2011, while Ryan reached it once but fell short. Manning threw for a single season career-best 4,933 during the run leading up to the second Super Bowl title.

Ryan threw for 284 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions to help the Falcons build a 25-point lead in the championship game — a matchup remembered for the New England Patriots engineering the largest comeback in Super Bowl history.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan passes the ball against the Buffalo Bills during the second half at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., on Jan. 2, 2022. (Rich Barnes/USA TODAY Sports)

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The Falcons have reached the Super Bowl twice in franchise history, first in 1998, but the team is still chasing its first elusive championship.

The Giants marked their 100th season in 2024, winning four Super Bowls over the franchise’s century-long history.

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World number one Judd Trump recovered from a slow start to defeat Gary Wilson in their first-round match.

Trump, the 2019 champion, lost four of the first five frames as Wilson, ranked 27th, moved into a 4-1 lead.

But Trump then claimed the final four frames of the session, including superb breaks of 128 and 77, to hold a 5-4 advantage.

However, Wilson, a three-time ranking event winner, made the highest break of the session with a superb 139 clearance in frame five.

In the second session later on Tuesday, Wilson made a break of 58 to make it 5-5, but Trump pulled clear by winning five in a row to seal a 10-5 success.

Trump, 36, has been top of the world rankings since August 2024 and will extend that run if he reaches the quarter-finals.

“I like being number one, it’s going to be difficult to keep it unless I do really well in the next season but I take a lot of pride in it,” he said.

Trump lives in Dubai but, because of the recent conflict in the Middle East, he left the area temporarily.

“I had to stay in Thailand for a month, and I managed to practice for the World Championship, but it has been more back to normal now,” he said.

“Dubai is still my base, I’ve been back there in the last couple of weeks and everything is normal.”

A downbeat Wilson, speaking to BBC Four, said: “It’s just constant disappointment. I am, and always have been since the age of 13, a better player than this.

“It’s a constant struggle. The yips are getting worse and I’m just riding through it.”

Manny Pacquiao remains unconvinced by Floyd Mayweather’s self-proclaimed ‘GOAT’ status, believing that his achievements are perhaps more worthy of such recognition.

The two pound-for-pound legends are set square off in a professional rematch on September 19, headlining a Netflix event at The Sphere, Las Vegas.

At the age of 47 and 49, respectively, neither Pacquiao nor Mayweather are expected to produce a career-best performance, or even come close to delivering an elite-level spectacle.

But while both Hall of Famers are significantly removed from their primes, there is nonetheless a degree of intrigue attached to their sequel.

This is partly because of Mayweather’s iconic 50-0 record, which he is expected to put on the line in a fully-sanctioned contest against ‘Pac Man’.

By retiring with an unbeaten record, after having become a five-division world champion, Mayweather joined an exclusive club consisting of fighters such as Andre Ward, Joe Calzaghe and Rocky Marciano.

But while this remains an impressive achievement, Pacquiao has questioned whether it is enough for the American to be regarded as the greatest fighter of all time.

Speaking with Inside the Ring, the Filipino highlighted his own accolades and suggested that Mayweather’s ‘GOAT’ status can, at the very least, be debated among boxing aficionados.

“He’s a self-proclaimed GOAT. He cannot claim that he’s the only undefeated fighter who retired. There’s at least more than 15 fighters that retired undefeated.

“But I can claim [that I’m] the only eight-division [world champion in history]. And I’m the only fighter that became a world champion in four different decades.”

Indeed, Pacquiao claimed his first major title in 1998, before retiring in 2021 as an eight-division world champion.

Despite losing to Yordenis Ugas that same year, the southpaw had previously held the WBA welterweight strap and therefore reigned as a world champion in four separate decades.

The mind games have begun in the rematch between Manny Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather.

Pacquiao revealed his new base of operations for his upcoming fight at Sphere in Las Vegas in September to Ring Magazine in an article published Tuesday. It is a former location of his rival’s Mayweather Boxing + Fitness chain of gyms in Los Angeles, now branded as a Pacquiao Prime Boxing club.

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It’s not a move we would describe as subtle, especially with Pacquiao’s camp talking about stripping the gym of all of Mayweather’s images and branding.

The move was also reportedly orchestrated by Jas Mathur, a former business associate of Mayweather who is now the CEO of Pacquiao Promotions. He insisted this was merely a business decision

From The Ring:

“This is not an emotional decision, it’s a business decision,” Mathur told The Ring. “We’re not looking at anything Mayweather Boxing + Fitness did. We have our own model, and it’s the first of many Pacquiao Prime Boxing locations we want to open. It’s the first step in a much bigger plan that we have.

“It was cool that this space had the Mayweather name on it and whatnot, but we did it more for the location. It’s in a very visible, high-traffic and landmark area for what we want to accomplish moving forward. We envision many professional fighters, athletes, celebrities and top trainers wanting to be here.”

To be clear, the Mayweather Boxing + Fitness location was reportedly shuttered because the franchise owner decided not to renew the lease. There are still dozens of Mayweather locations worldwide, though there have been whispers of financial troubles for “Money” in the past few months.

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The Mayweather-Pacquiao rematch was announced in February and will be a Netflix-aired redux of the the best-selling boxing bout of all time, in which Mayweather beat Pacquiao by lopsided unanimous decision in 2015.

There has already been some contention over the terms of the agreement outlined by Netflix. Mayweather curiously insisted the Sphere venue wasn’t a done deal and insisted the fight was actually an exhibition, which wouldn’t threaten his prized 50-0 record.

Pacquiao’s camp responded by indicating they would hold Mayweather, whose exhibition bouts have a spotty financial history, to the “binding agreement” he signed.

Chennai Super Kings’ MS Dhoni (PTI Photo)

Mumbai: Are legendary captain MS Dhoni and England star all-rounder Will Jacks set to return to action in the big-ticket Mumbai Indians vs Chennai Super Kings clash at the Wankhede Stadium on Thursday night? After days of anticipation, that could well be the case. Dhoni trained intensely in the CSK nets at the Wankhede on Tuesday night. Notably, he kept wickets for around half an hour and also batted for about 30 minutes. The 44-year-old, who suffered a calf strain during the pre-season camp, was seen striking the ball fluently without any visible discomfort. However, Dhoni had also been practising with the CSK squad in Chennai earlier. CSK are currently placed eighth on the IPL 2026 points table, with two wins and four losses. His potential return would add valuable depth to their batting. Meanwhile, Jacks has finally arrived in India after missing MI’s first six matches. The England star, who was a standout performer in the 2026 T20 World Cup with four Player of the Match awards, trained in MI’s nets at the Wankhede on Monday between 5 pm and 6 pm, and also took part in an optional practice session under lights on Tuesday. The 27-year-old off-spinner bowled in the nets and batted for nearly an hour. His arrival is a major boost for MI, whose campaign regained momentum after a dominant 99-run win over Gujarat Titans at the Narendra Modi Stadium on Monday night. Jacks’ arrival had been delayed for undisclosed reasons, with the MI management refraining from revealing details about his absence during the first three weeks of IPL 2026. His presence was eagerly awaited by both the management and fans. As a powerful middle-order batter and a capable spinner, Jacks strengthens both departments for MI. His inclusion could force the team to leave out one of their overseas spinners — Allah Ghazanfar or Mitchell Santner. Having delivered several useful cameos at No. 6 and 7 for England during the T20 World Cup, Jacks also offers MI a reliable finishing option. Spencer Johnson joins CSK squad In another boost for CSK, Australian pacer Spencer Johnson, signed as a replacement for Nathan Ellis, joined the squad in Mumbai on Tuesday ahead of the marquee clash. The left-arm quick trained with the team at the Wankhede and is expected to feature in the playing XI on Thursday night, likely replacing Khaleel Ahmed, who was ruled out with an injury last week. Injuries have significantly dented CSK’s campaign after a slow start. In their previous match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, young batter Ayush Mhatre suffered a hamstring injury, ruling him out of the remainder of IPL 2026.

Abhishek Sharma and Eshan Malinga (BCCI Photo)

NEW DELHI: Opener Abhishek Sharma played a stunning innings and completely dominated Delhi Capitals as Sunrisers Hyderabad won comfortably by 47 runs in Hyderabad on Tuesday. This was their third consecutive victory in IPL 2026.His unbeaten 135 off just 68 balls powered SRH to a massive 242/2 on a flat pitch, leaving DC with no real chance in the chase.Abhishek was in destructive form right from the start, smashing 10 sixes and 10 boundaries as he tore apart the bowling attack. Even though Travis Head was not at his best, he still helped build a strong opening stand of 97 runs. After his dismissal for 37, skipper Ishan Kishan joined Abhishek and added another quick 79-run partnership, pushing SRH into complete control.Towards the end, Heinrich Klaasen added the finishing touch with a blistering 37 off 13 balls, helping SRH reach an unthinkable total of 242/2. Abhishek’s knock was so dominant that even a so-called slower century for him came at a strike rate above 200.Delhi Capitals started their chase with some hope, reaching 107/1, but things quickly fell apart. Eshan Malinga (4/32) and Sakib Hussain broke the backbone of the innings, triggering a collapse that DC never recovered from. They slipped from 107/1 to 107/4 and eventually finished at 195/9.Nitish Rana’s bowling backfired badly, going for 55 runs in four overs, while DC’s spin and pace options were poorly used. Even key bowlers like Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav were underutilised, adding to their problems.SRH’s bowlers used smart variations and kept taking wickets at regular intervals, making the chase impossible.SRH’s powerful batting and disciplined bowling proved far too strong, while DC’s poor tactics and repeated mistakes made the difference in a one-sided contest.