Texas Tech's Darrion Williams is one of the biggest names still in the transfer portal. While it's been just around a month since the Sacramento native declared for the NBA Draft while entering the portal, he's now knee-deep in the pre-draft process, having committed to stay in the NBA Draft Combine.
ESPN's Jeff Borzello touts Williams as the fifth-best player in the transfer portal, and the third-best player still available behind just RJ Luis and PJ Haggerty.
"Williams is currently projected as a second-round pick in June's NBA draft, so he could still return to school," Borzello said. "The first-team All-Big 12 pick was incredible in the NCAA tournament, averaging 23.7 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists in his final three games after averaging 15.1 points on the season."
Should Williams return to school, he could be the missing piece to elevate a program to national title contenders.
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On The Field of 68, Rob Dauster and Mike LaTulip spoke on the offseason that Kansas has had after wrapping up a disappointing season, and how Williams could help turn around what has largely been viewed as an underwhelming portal haul.
"They definitely haven't done enough to this point to compete for a title, but I definitely don't think they're done," LaTulip said.
The Jayhawks have brought in a trio of coveted transfers in Jayden Dawson, Tre White, and Melvin Council Jr., but had six players from last year's roster enter the portal.
Earlier in the offseason, Jeff Goodman revealed that the Jayhawks were in talks with Williams and his representatives, but that the player is mainly focused on going pro this offseason. Ohio State and NC State were also revealed as teams interested in signing Williams, but Kansas may be the most attractive landing spot for him.
"If I'm Kansas, that's who I'm trying to get," Dauster said. "If I am Darrion Williams' agent, I'm going to Kansas and saying, 'four million and he's yours.'"
While the price tag is one that's been attached to players like Haggerty, Dauster says that it would be well worth it. He pointed to one Kansas wing who he believes disappointed this past season, one that Williams would be an upgrade over.
"I think that he's worth 3.5 million in this market to Kansas," Dauster said of Williams. "If you put him at the four, he's a guy that can score in the post. He's a guy that can pass. He's a guy that can make threes. He's everything that KJ Adams wasn't."
Dauster even went as far as to say that Williams could make the Jayhawks a top team in the Big 12, saying: "If he's there? If Darrion Williams ends up at Kansas, we're having a real conversation about Kansas in the Houston, Texas Tech tier."
Williams spent much of last season as Texas Tech's third option behind Chance McMillian and JT Toppin, and he could see a similar role should he join Kansas. The Jayhawks will be welcoming guard Darryn Peterson, the top-ranked recruit in the 2025 class, and returning Flory Bidunga, who Dauster says holds a similar profile to Toppin.
"I think he's the exact ilk of Kansas big wing that they've had over the years," LaTulip said. "He's not the athlete of like a Wayne Seldon, Svi [Mykhailiuk], or [Ochai] Agbaji or any of those guys, but Kansas has won with big wings that can step out, that can shoot it. That's been the formula, and I think this would be the year for them to get back to that."
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