Top 5 sleepers UNC should target from the College Basketball transfer portal
North Carolina is arguably one of the perennial powers in college basketball. The team is looking for ways to strengthen its roster to contend for the national championship.
After an inconsistent 2023-24 season, where they were booted out in the Sweet 16 by Alabama, the Tar Heels are splashing into the transfer portal to replace departing players and beef up its roster for the 2024-25 season.
One of the main priorities of North Carolina this offseason is to find suitable replacements for big man Armando Bacot and forward Harrison Ingram.
As per initial reports, Tar Heels targeted six frontcourt players in the transfer portal, but three of their prospective targets have committed to other schools. The other target backed out of the transfer portal and decided to stay at his current school.
What's left of them are Tennessee power forward Jonas Aidoo and Rutgers center Clifford Omoruyi and talks are still ongoing to get their commitment to join the Tar Heels.
North Carolina is also looking for a shooting guard who could serve as its backup scorer as they await RJ Davis' decision to stay with the team or transfer to other programs. Currently, the program is focusing its efforts on two guards in the portal — Dayton shooting guard Koby Brea and Oregon State point guard Jordan Pope.
Other transfer portal targets who were on North Carolina's radar include small forwards Adou Thiero (Kentucky), Andrej Stojakovic (Stanford) and Cade Tyson (Belmont).
They still have the option of luring in other players who could potentially steal the thunder out of the team's presumed transfer portal targets. With this in mind, here are five players who could serve as "sleeper picks" for North Carolina in the transfer portal.
5 potential sleeper transfer portal picks that UNC should target
#5. Jevon Porter
The 6'11" power forward out of Pepperdine earned All-WCC honorable mention this season after averaging 16.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.0 block per game.
The younger brother of Denver Nuggets star Michael Porter Jr and Toronto Raptors forward Jontay Porter is also an explosive scorer, as he scored 22 or more points in three of his last four games with the Waves. Jevon can also play defense, as he rejected four San Diego attempts in the second round of the WCC Tournament.
#4. Andrew Carr
The 6-foot-10 senior knows a thing or two about ACC play as he played for Wake Forest in the past two seasons. Carr had a memorable 2023-24 season with the Demon Deacons as the center tallied career-highs of 13.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.
He shot 52.6% from the field, including 37.1% from the three-point line. He also has a smooth touch from the free-throw stripe as he made 78.1% of his attempts from the 15-foot line.
#3. Desmond Claude
The 6-foot-6 sophomore guard out of Xavier has been one of the revelations in the NCAA in the past season. He hiked his averages to 16.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 1.1 spg in the 2023-24 season from his 4.7/2.5/1.8/0.8 stat line in the previous season.
He could provide a boost in the shooting guard spot, considering that UNC is still waiting for RJ Davis' decision to stay or exit the team next season.
#2. Vladislav Goldin
If North Carolina is looking for a one-and-done center, then Goldin is the best man available. The 7-1 Russian specimen has tallied averages of 15.7 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 34 games for Florida Atlantic last season.
Goldin showed everyone that he can dominate from the post, as he scored at least 20 points in eight of his last 11 games. That included a 21-point, 12-rebound, two-block outing against Memphis in the Owls' last regular season game.
#1. Deivon Smith
Smith is coming off his best season as he tallied career-highs of 13.3 ppg, 6.3 rpg, 7.1 apg and 1.1 steals per game in 28 games with the Utes. In the past season, Smith recorded five triple-doubles and shot his best field goal and 3-point shooting clips of his career at 46.7% and 40.8%, respectively.
The 6'0" point guard will transfer to his fourth team in the 2024-25 season. However, he is known to adapt easily to his new surroundings, so it's not expected to be a problem for him to adjust to a new culture if North Carolina acquires him.