Following a disappointing 21-loss season, the NC State men’s basketball team is sure to hit the transfer portal for additions in an age where hundreds of players transfer each year. As of now, the Wolfpack has three scholarships open due to the transfers of Cam Hayes, Jaylon Gibson and Thomas Allen.

Nine players currently hold scholarships for the Wolfpack, but it could get up to two more depending on what happens with freshman guard Terquavion Smith and redshirt sophomore guard Dereon Seabron. Both Seabron and Smith are testing the NBA Draft waters.

As of now, Smith is more likely than Seabron to be drafted, but there exists a real possibility that both players won’t be suiting up for the Pack next season. Smith ranks No. 39 on ESPN’s NBA Draft top 100 and Seabron is No. 85. Smith could hear feedback from teams about needing to bulk up and may opt to rejoin the team, trying to propel himself into lottery status like Purdue guard Jaden Ivey just did.

Let’s take a look at what options NC State has in the transfer portal to flesh out the roster and what a potential rotation could look like for the Wolfpack.

Ball-handlers

Coming off a season where NC State ranked 280th in the country in assists per game, getting a transfer floor general is of the utmost importance for the Wolfpack. To further illustrate that point, there is a chance that all five of the Pack’s leaders in assists per game last season could be gone. The player who finished sixth on the team in assists per game, junior guard Casey Morsell, averaged just 0.8 assists per game last season.

The first name that comes to mind is someone that has a visit scheduled in former Drexel guard Camren Wynter. Wynter averaged 14.5 points and 5.1 assists per game in 114 total games with Drexel and would come to the Wolfpack offering something the position has lacked in the last two seasons: consistency. Wynter is the No. 69 transfer according to ESPN.

Outside of the ability of Morsell, Seabron and Smith to play the one, NC State has two other rotation options in Breon Pass and LJ Thomas. Pass proved his worth this past year, making the Wolfpack faithful notice him with his popping defense and effort. Thomas will likely have a role similar to that of Pass or former guard Shakeel Moore, having the physicality to get minutes early.

Wings

There is a decent chance that the Wolfpack will have its work cut out for it on the wing if Smith and Seabron hire agents for the 2022 NBA Draft.

Outside of Seabron and Smith, there are only three current players that could potentially man the wing spot: Morsell, Pass, if he slides up a position, and junior forward Greg Gantt Jr. if he slides down. Without a natural fit, it makes sense that the bulk of the Pack’s work so far in transfer visits has come on the wing.

According to Cory Smith of PackPride, Luis Rodriguez, Landers Nolley II and Jack Clark all have had visits with the Wolfpack, and each is an enticing option.

At this time, Rodriguez seems like a safe bet to join the Pack and follow new assistant coach Levi Watkins from Ole Miss to NC State. Rodriguez averaged 6.6 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game, and though his stats don’t jump off the page, he can do plenty to help open up driving lanes for the Pack and his energy on the offensive boards is noticeable.

Nolley would be a fantastic get for the Wolfpack, a team that recruited him heavily upon his transfer out of Virginia Tech. Perhaps Nolley’s best season came last year with Memphis when he averaged 13.1 points per game and shot 38.7% from 3 on six attempts per game. Nolley is a high-scoring wing that would offset potential losses of Seabron and Smith, and at 6-foot-7, he has the versatility the Pack needs. Nolley is the No. 37 transfer on ESPN.

Clark would be another strong addition to the Pack, as someone that can score, rebound and defend. Clark has great size at 6-foot-8, 180 pounds, and he showed glimpses of greatness toward the end of last season while leading his team in steals per game.

Ole Miss guard Jarkel Joiner recently entered the transfer portal, another player he could follow Watkins, but that is far from a guarantee, especially considering he would have a bevy of suitors. However, Joiner averaged 13.2 points and shot over 34% from deep and would be a huge addition to this team. Joiner and Smith would make up one of the more formidable backcourts in the ACC, if Smith elects to return.

As for returning wings, Morsell showed great improvement when healthy this year, something he can continue to build on into next season.

Bigs

Before last season, NC State looked set with its men in the middle. Expecting a breakout season for Manny Bates as well as having developmental pieces in sophomore center Ebenezer Dowuona and Jaylon Gibson, the hierarchy at the five looked set for the season.

Of course, then disaster struck, with Bates going down for the season and Dowuona and Gibson having to punch above their weight class for the rest of the year. Neither player stood out with Dowuona fouling too often and Gibson being a revolving door on defense. Gibson transferred away, going to Winston-Salem State, leaving Dowuona as the only returning true five.

It’s obvious that with one of the Wolfpack’s open scholarships, it will look to the transfer portal for a big man or two to come in and help right the position. There are several options available to the Wolfpack but three, in particular, come to mind: former Indiana Hoosier Michael Durr, former five-star Efton Reid and former Maryland Terrapin Qudus Wahab.

Durr is the most likely out of the three, having already received interest from the Wolfpack. Durr doesn’t exactly have the most inspiring stats, playing meager minutes with Indiana last season due to injury, but he did average 8.8 points and 7.9 rebounds with South Florida the year before.

Reid and Wahab are interesting options that would make a huge impact on the Wolfpack and both previously had NC State in their list of finalist schools, ultimately opting for LSU and Maryland, respectively.

Reid would be the dream get here, though it may be unlikely. The former five-star center averaged 6.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game last season but has the correct physicality at 6-foot-11, 238 pounds, to develop into a star for the Pack. Reid is the No. 28-ranked transfer on ESPN.

Wahab would also be a solid get, having averaged 7.7 points and 5.6 rebounds per game last year with Maryland. In the year before with Georgetown, Wahab averaged 12.7 points. Unlike some of the other bigs the Pack has had in years past, Wahab improved his personal foul efficiency last season. Wahab is the No. 55 transfer according to ESPN.

Incoming four-star recruit Shawn Phillips is another solution at the five, though it may take him some time to crack the rotation like Dowuona and Bates before him.

As for the power rotation, the Pack seems relatively set between Gantt and freshman forward Ernest Ross. Gantt didn’t play last season due to an injury but is sure to be a solid positional defender that the Wolfpack lacked last season.

Ross showed signs of improvement last year and there were glimpses of his ability to play the backup five, something head coach Kevin Keatts may look to explore next year.