BREAKING: KENTUCKY WILDCATS TO LAND ANOTHER MASSIVE COMMITMENT FROM ELITE 5-STAR FORWARD AFTER REJECTING RIVALS CONTRACT DEAL AND CONFIRMED HE WANT TO PLAY FOR KENTUCKY
The player who nearly ended Kentucky’s season in the first round of the NCAA Tournament is exploring his college basketball options.
And UK could be his next destination.
Allen Graves, who emerged as an NBA-level prospect in his first season on the court at Santa Clara, is the latest standout player to signal that he will switch schools this offseason. He entered his name in the transfer portal Friday after also declaring for the 2026 NBA draft earlier in the week.
Graves — a 6-foot-9 forward from Ponchatoula, Louisiana — averaged 11.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, 0.9 blocks and 1.9 steals per game during the 2025-26 season. He shot 41.3% on 92 3-point attempts in 35 games during his first season of college basketball.
ESPN ranks Graves as the No. 32 overall prospect for the 2026 draft, putting him just two spots outside of first-round range.
A lightly regarded national recruit despite being the Gatorade state player of the year in Louisiana as a senior, Graves didn’t even have a 247Sports recruiting page. He ultimately selected Santa Clara over Xavier but sat out his first season with the Broncos to concentrate on getting in better shape and due to a glut of frontcourt players on the team’s roster that season.
As a redshirt freshman, Graves quickly turned heads with an effective game predicated on skill. In addition to his touch for a big man — and his shooting numbers improved across the board as the 2025-26 season progressed — Graves is seen as a great passer, skills that could translate well to Mark Pope’s offensive system. While he has ample room to improve as a defender, Graves’ quick hands lead to steals and deflections.
He was named the West Coast Conference’s freshman of the year, as well as earning sixth man of the year honors in the league.
Graves nearly ended Kentucky’s season in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last month.
He spent much of the first half in foul trouble before finishing with 17 points and seven rebounds in 27 minutes. His 3-pointer gave Santa Clara the lead with 2.4 seconds left, but Otega Oweh’s 40-foot bank shot sent the game to overtime, where the Cats pulled out an 89-84 victory.
UK lost to Iowa State two days later in the second round of March Madness.
Graves, who turns 20 years old in July, made his way onto NBA draft boards with his showing at Santa Clara — and there’s been consistent buzz of first-round potential — but he will be one of the most coveted transfers in the country if he stays in college.
The Herald-Leader has been told that Kentucky will have major interest in Graves’ recruitment. Duke is among the other high-major programs expected to be in the mix, and new LSU coach Will Wade is also likely to make a play for the Louisiana native.
Players can officially enter their names in the transfer portal during the April 7-21 window, and a college decision can be made at any point after those dates. The deadline to withdraw from this year’s NBA draft and maintain college eligibility is May 27.
Pope will be going through another roster revamp this offseason.
Since the 2025-26 season ended, 6-8 wing Kam Williams is the only player from that UK roster who has confirmed that he will be back in Lexington. Starting center Malachi Moreno has also said he will return to UK if he pulls out of the NBA draft, but the 7-footer will go through that process first.
Braydon Hawthorne and Reece Potter, who sat out last season as redshirt players, are also expected back for Kentucky, while sophomore forward Trent Noah has not yet announced a decision on his basketball future.
Seven other players from the 2025-26 roster have all entered the transfer portal this week. That group includes Denzel Aberdeen, Collin Chandler, Mouhamed Dioubate, Brandon Garrison, Andrija Jelavic, Jasper Johnson and Jaland Lowe.
Aberdeen committed to Florida on Friday, attempting a return to the program he played for in his first three seasons of college basketball. But he will need a waiver from the NCAA — or a change to the existing rules — to receive a fifth year of college eligibility.
Kentucky is also losing senior guard Otega Oweh, who led the Wildcats in scoring in each of the past two seasons, and Pope has cast a wide net for prospective transfers already this spring.
Graves will have three seasons of NCAA eligibility remaining, though it’s possible he could spend just one more year in college before heading off to the 2027 NBA draft.
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