College basketball transfer portal: Best players available ahead of Tuesday's opening

The college basketball transfer portal is nearly upon us, with free agency officially set to open at midnight on Tuesday, April 7.

Hundreds of players will be entered into the database at that point, and they’ll be able to visit schools and ultimately make their decisions on their next destination once that happens. But even prior to that, players are announcing their choice to enter prior to the official opening and beginning the feeding frenzy.

Dozens of all-league honorees and former elite recruits are among them, making for what should be an intriguing portal season. Multiple teams are expected to spend upwards of $10-15 million on their rosters, and these players will take up significant portions of those budgets.

On3 breaks down the top players available once the portal officially opens in a little more than 48 hours, according to the Industry Transfer Portal Rankings:

1. G Juke Harris – Wake Forest

Earlier this week, On3’s Joe Tipton reported that Harris plans to enter the transfer portal and will go through the NBA Draft process simultaneously. The 6-foot-7 sophomore averaged 21.4 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game this season for the Demon Deacons. Harris, a former top-100 recruit, was named ACC Most Improved Player this season after increasing his scoring by over 15 points per game, following an average of just 6.1 points per game as a freshman. The current No. 1 player in the portal, he is expected to draw interest from multiple top programs across the sport.

2. C Flory Bidunga – Kansas

Bidunga, one of the top centers in the country as a sophomore this season, is entering the portal while also testing the NBA Draft waters. After an up-and-down freshman campaign, the 6-foot-10, 240-pounder averaged 13.3 points, 9.0 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per contest in 31.5 minutes per game. He led the Big 12 in blocks and was fourth nationally with 91. For all of that, he earned first-team All-Big 12 honors, and was also named the league’s defensive player of the year. The former five-star is projected as a second-round pick currently.

3. F Paulius Murauskas – St. Mary’s

Murauskas instantly became the top player expected to hit the portal when it was reported by DraftExpress on Tuesday. He was an All-West Coast Conference selection this past season at Saint Mary’s, helping lead the program back to the NCAA Tournament. He averaged 18.4 points, 7.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game, shooting 48% from the field, 33% from beyond the arc and connecting on 84% of his free throw attempts

Murauskas started his college career at Arizona, and it wouldn’t be a shock to see him to return to the state to play former Gaels coach Randy Bennett now that he is at Arizona State.

4. G Miles Byrd – San Diego State

Bryd is among the country’s top defenders, regardless of position. As a redshirt sophomore last year, the California native averaged 12.3 points, 4.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 2.1 steals, and 1.1 blocks. His 31 swats put him in the top-10 in the league despite being a 6’7, 175-pound Guard. He largely replicated that this season and was named Third Team All-MWC for his efforts. Questions remain about his shooting — just 31% from 3 — but he will be one of the most-wanted players in this cycle for his defense and rebounding prowess alone.

5. C Oswin Erhunmwunse – Providence

One of a slew of Providence players to hit the portal since Kim English’s firing, Erhunmwunse is one of the most sought-after big men in the country. He started 24 of 32 games as a freshman in 2024-25, averaging 6.8 points and 5.6 rebounds in just over 20 minutes per contest. He took his rebounding to another level this year, finishing fourth in the Big East with 8.3 boards per game and an offensive rebounding percentage of 14.2%. At 6-foot-10 and 230-pound, he’s also one of the country’s best shot blockers with 70 swats this season.

6. G Isaiah Johnson – Colorado

The Los Angeles native averaged 16.9 points, 3.0 assists, and 2.9 rebounds for the Buffaloes as a true freshman this season. He enjoyed a strong freshman season in Boulder, leading the team in points and steals. He was also second on the team in assists, while hitting 49% of his shot from the field and 38% from behind the arc. An offensive stalwart, Johnson finished top-10 in the Big 12 in free throw attempts, player efficiency rating and offensive rating.

7. F Stefan Vaaks – Providence

The Estonia native was one of the top freshman in the country and earned Big East All-Freshman team honors in his lone year with the Friars. Vaaks battled preseason injuries, but appeared in 31 of the team’s 33 games, starting 22. He led the Big East in 3-point percentage (35.0%) and shot nearly 84% from the free throw line, averaging 15.8 points per contest.

While not considered a defensive stalwart (118.9 defensive rating), he is one of the best pure scorers available early in the portal cycle and will be highly sought-after.

8. G Jackson Shelstad – Oregon

Shelstad was a former two-time Oregon Gatorade Player of the Year while in high school and a top-30 overall recruit who largely lived up the hype in three years with the Ducks. This season, he averaged 15.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 4.9 assists in 12 games played before suffering a hand injury in December that kept him out the remainder of the year.

An Oregon native, he was named All-Big Ten Third Team honors in the 2024-25 season and was Pac-12 All-Freshman Team in 23-24. With a year of eligibility left, he will be one of the most prized guards in the portal.

9. G Neoklis Avdalas – Virginia Tech

The Kalamata, Greece native averaged 12.1 points, 4.6 assists, and 3.1 rebounds for the Hokies last season as a true freshman and emerged as one of the ACC’s best young players. A 6’9 guard, Avdalas was Virginia Tech‘s fourth-leading scorer this season and also led the Hokies in assists. However, he’ll need to improve his offensive efficiency numbers after shooting 38% from the field and 31% from 3 in his 31 games this season.

10. G Dedan Thomas – LSU

Thomas was one of the SEC’s top guards prior to a mid-season injury, averaging 15.3 points and 6.5 assists this past season in 16 games. Prior to that, he spent the previous two years at UNLV, where he was one of the Mountain West’s best players before opting to transfer. As a sophomore at UNLV in 2024-25, Thomas set a career-high with 15.6 points per game to go with 4.7 assists per game. He will have one year of eligibility remaining once he enters the portal.