Kansas basketball transfer portal: Top 3 takeaways from Jayhawks' offseason moves

Kansas had a rough 2024-25 season, with 13 losses and a first-round NCAA Tournament exit. The Jayhawks' struggles have continued into the transfer portal. The Jayhawks have made some solid, but not explosive additions, while losing a fair amount of talent themselves. Here's a rundown on what was learned with Kansas's offseason moves in the portal.

Top 3 takeaways from Kansas's portal moves

Big man Flory Bidunga decided to leave the portal and return to Kansas, which might have been a big victory for Bill Self and the Jayhawks. (Photo Credit: IMAGN)

3. Bill Self didn't make any massive splashes this time around.

In recent years, Kansas and Self made much bigger splashes in the portal pool. In 2023, Kansas added Hunter Dickinson. In 2024, AJ Storr, Zeke Mayo and Rylan Griffen were all added in. None worked out terribly well, and this time, Kansas and Self added three solid players, but no massive names. Will that shift in focus to depth and not star power help? Time will tell.

2. A season of a roster with some bad fits largely has remedied itself.

Kansas lost six players to the portal, some of whom were big name players who never really fit. Zeke Mayo had an up-and-down season, and AJ Storr and Rylen Griffen were both double-digit scorers at power programs who slumped to barely six points per game. David Coit, Rakease Passmore and Zach Clemence collectively scored about seven points per game.

It's hard not to see a Kansas team that had a tough season with a loaded roster as having made a conscious choice. Self is going for a leaner, shorter bench and buying in more on the players he nabs. Again, the long-term outlook is hard to forecast, but the approach is almost undeniable.

1. The returnees are probably the biggest story.

Everything wasn't awful for Kansas. The Jayhawks got some big news in that two more players put themselves into the transfer portal, but ultimately pulled out of the portal to return to Kansas. Big man Flory Bidunga (5.9 ppg, 5.4 rpg) was the bigger story of the two returnees, just because skilled big men are rare qualities, and Bidunga did show some progress in his season at Kansas.

Shakeel Moore could be a factor too. He broke his foot in the preseason and limped through a shortened season with little effectiveness. Moore has scored 1,112 points in power conferences and while he won't be explosive, he could be a key component for the Jayhawks.

What do you think of Kansas's offseason moves? Share your take below on the Jayhawks in our comments section!