Top 5 transfer portal targets for Baylor if VJ Edgecombe declares for NBA draft ft. RJ Luis Jr.

VJ Edgecombe and the No. 9 Baylor Bears were eliminated by the No. 1 Duke Blue Devils 89–66 in the second round of March Madness. It was a disappointing but unsurprising exit for the Bears at the hands of one of the tournament favorites.

With the Bears' season over, Bears fans will look to VJ Edgecombe who is widely expected to declare for the 2025 NBA draft. After a stellar freshman season at Baylor, where he averaged 15.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.1 steals per game, he is projected to be a top-five pick in the draft.

While Edgecombe has not officially declared for the draft yet, he must decide in the coming weeks. As a result, Baylor must prepare to replace him. If Edgecombe declares for the NBA draft, these are five transfer portal targets for the team.

Top 5 transfer portal targets for Baylor if VJ Edgecombe declares for the 2025 NBA draft

#1 RJ Luis Jr.

The Baylor Bears will have trouble replacing a player projected to be one of the top players in the 2025 NBA draft. However, if there is anyone who can do it, it is RJ Luis Jr. Luis Jr. is leaving St. John's after the team's disappointing second-round exit. He was a big breakout star, averaging 18.2 ppg and 7.2 RPG this season.

#2 Ja'Kobi Gillespie

With the news that head coach Kevin Willard left Maryland for Villanova, several members of the Terrapins entered the transfer portal, including Ja'Kobi Gillespie. If the Bears can acquire him, he would significantly help the offense. He averaged 14.7 ppg and 4.8 apg last season.

#3 Silas Demary Jr.

Georgia's Silas Demary Jr. was one of the best guards at the end of the season in the Southeastern Conference. In his last 10 games, he averaged 18.3 ppg while shooting nearly 39% from 3-point range. If he is interested, the Bears should not hesitate to sign him.

#4 Rodney Rice

Another player from Maryland who could fit on Baylor is Rodney Rice. He averaged 13.8 ppg last season and improved throughout the season.

#5 Josh Dix

Another great shooter the Bears could add is Josh Dix. Playing for Iowa this past season, he shot 42.2% from beyond the 3-point arc. In total, he averaged 14.4 ppg this season.

About the author

Alexander O'Reilly is a journalist at Sportskeeda from Kingston, Ontario with over seven years in the field at companies including SenShot, RVBlogger, Monarch Media, WordAgents, GSeC LLC, and IGC.

His favorite college team is Duke, and his favorite sporting memory was Duke winning March Madness in 2010. JJ Redick was Alex's favorite college player when he was young but more recently, Caleb Williams gets the nod. As the Chicago Bears are Alex's favorite NFL team, this was a perfect match.

Alex's proudest moment came when he was interviewed by a radio station in Ottawa on his opinion on recent moves by the Ottawa Senators, which gave him a confidence boost and the knowledge that he could succeed as a writer.

Aside from sports, Alex likes to spend his time playing games. He is also very passionate about running and strives to improve at the half and full marathon distances.

Know More

Dawn Staley, Geno Auriemma, or Kim Mulkey - who is NCAAW's highest-paid coach? Find out here

Edited by Abhimanyu Gupta