Top 5 transfer portal targets for Texas if Tre Johnson declares for NBA Draft

Tre Johnson is a freshman at Texas who performed at a high level in his rookie college season, averaging 19.9 points per game. His incredible play at a young age helped the Longhorns reach the First Four in the March Madness Tournament. However, the team was unable to advance to the main section of the tournament.

Regardless, Tre Johnson established himself as one of the best young players in college basketball. As a result, he is widely expected to declare for the 2025 NBA draft. While he has not officially declared, most mock drafts have him as a top-10 pick. So, it would be surprising if he does not declare.

If Tre Johnson does declare, the Texas Longhorns will need to find a replacement. That could be challenging considering his high production rate. These are five potential candidates.

Top 5 transfer portal targets for Texas if Tre Johnson enters the 2025 NBA draft

#1 Isaac McKneely

Virginia's Isaac McKneely could be a suitable replacement for Tre Johnson. McKneely was a bright spot on the Cavaliers this past season, averaging 14.4 points per game. He is an excellent shooter, shooting at a 42.1% rate from beyond the 3-point arc this past season.

#2 Quimari Peterson

Quimari Peterson won SoCon Player of the Year this past season after averaging 19.5 points per game for East Tennessee State. He will be looking to have a big role in much more prestigious program like Texas. The Longhorns would be a good fit for both parties.

#3 Jalil Bethea

Jalil Bethea would be an interesting transfer portal target for Texas because he was a top-10 recruit in the 2024 class. He is a talented shot-maker who did not find his groove at Miami.

Since Texas is more known for football, it does not always get to pick up the best recruits in the nation. As Bethea had a poor first season, the Longhorns might be able to bring him in as a reclamation project and jump-start his career.

#4 Pop Isaacs

Pop Isaacs only played eight games this past season for Creighton before going down with a hip injury. He was averaging 16.3 points per game before his injury and would be a good replacement for Tre Johnson.

#5 Lamar Wilkerson

Lamar Wilkerson is in the transfer portal after earning first-team All-Conference USA honors this past season. His most impressive trait is his shooting as he shot at a 44.5% rate from 3-point range this past 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.

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Edited by Rajdeep Barman