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With the deadline for final NBA Draft decisions looming, Big Blue Nation received news they weren’t expecting. While Kentucky big men Jarred Vanderbilt, P.J. Washington and Wenyen Gabriel have yet to announce their final decision, a big man West of Kentucky made a decision that will likely favor the Wildcats.
Reid Travis, a forward out of Stanford, removed his name from the NBA Draft and announced he would transfer as a graduate student. Travis averaged 19.5 points and 8.7 rebounds per game last season for the Cardinals.
Evan Daniels of 247 Sports, Gary Parish of CBS and Jeff Goodman of ESPN all believe Kentucky to be the favorite to land Travis.
With a front court that could lose it’s three best players from a season ago, this would be a timely addition for head coach John Calipari.
This would likely grant Kentucky the odds to be the favorite to win next spring’s championship, boasting a potential roster as follows:
Guards
Ashton Hagans (probable reclassification), Brad Calipari, Immanuel Quickley, Jemarl Baker, Tyler Herro, Quade Green
Forwards
E.J. Montgomery, Keldon Johnson, Reid Travis, Zan Payne
Centers
Nick Richards
This excludes the potential return(s) of Gabriel, Vanderbilt and/or Washington. All three must make their final decision by midnight Wednesday, while Travis’s decision is expected to come soon.
