Kentucky could get No. 1 player in transfer portal if NBA doesn't get in way

Mark Pope is closing in on a huge pull out of the transfer portal. Kentucky has been in contact with UAB's Yaxel Lendeborg, who is ranked the No. 1 transfer in the country by On3.

Lendeborg is a 6-foot-9 playmaking forward with one year of eligibility remaining. He is also testing the NBA Draft waters. In this past season at UAB, Lendeborg averaged 17.

7 points, 11.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game while shooting 35 percent from 3-point range.

He also had one of the best statistical games in D-I history , a 30-point, 20-rebound, 8-assist, 5-block, 4-steal night in which he shot 9-for-16 from the floor and 11-for-13 from the foul line in a conference quarterfinal game. Follow The Sporting News on WhatsApp Kentucky has already picked up the commitment of Kam Williams as a transfer portal sharpshooter, but Lendeborg is the big fish that everyone wants. If the Wildcats can keep Lendeborg in college and bring him to Lexington, their ceiling for the 2025-26 season goes through the roof.

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