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The NBA Draft deadline has passed, but the Kentucky Wildcats still have one major addition that could be made in the front court.
After going 1 of 3 on NBA decisions Wednesday, the Cats need to add another big man at some point this offseason. It just so happens Stanford forward Reid Travis is now a grad transfer that could be on the move to Lexington.
While Travis just announced his decision to leave on Wednesday, UK is already getting a ton of buzz, which is even coming from within the Stanford program.
I have spoken with two sources around the Stanford program, and I am told the staff there thinks Reid Travis will end up at Kentucky. @KentuckyRivals @RowlandRIVALS @Rivals
— David Sisk (@CoachDavidSisk) May 30, 2018
Now, the question is, when will Travis make the call?
Probably not before at least taking a visit to UK, which may be coming very soon. A source tells A Sea of Blue that Travis is planning to visit within the next week, possibly as soon as this weekend.
If that’s the case, then this ‘recruitment’ may only last a week. While that seems fast, it would explain why both Wenyen Gabriel and Jarred Vanderbilt left for the NBA Draft.
At least one of them figured to have a major role on next year’s team, but if Travis comes in, that could quickly go out the window.
To this point, the only other contender for Travis that’s been mentioned are the Villanova Wildcats. They’re in a world of hurt after losing Omari Spellman to the NBA, leaving those Wildcats with just one experienced big man returning.
But Villanova also lost virtually their entire national championship roster, including Jalen Brunson, Donte DiVincenzo and Mikal Bridges. Even if Villanova were to add Travis, it’s hard to see them being a serious Final Four threat next season.
As for UK, they return PJ Washington, Nick Richards and Quade Green while bringing in arguably the best recruiting class in 2018, which should include Ashton Hagans, EJ Montgomery, Immanuel Quickley, Tyler Herro and Keldon Johnson.
Sure, it may be a little crowded, but Travis has been putting up big numbers at Stanford for four years and not even made the NCAA Tournament once. He’s probably ready to trade some box score production for wins in the Big Dance, which is exactly what will happen if he ends up at UK.