Kentucky loses another former five-star to the transfer portal

Another former five-star Kentucky player is in the portal.

Mar 21, 2024; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Kentucky Wildcats guard D.J. Wagner (21) handles the ball during / Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Kentucky Wildcats just lost another former five-star recruit to the transfer portal as point guard DJ Wagner announced his plans to leave Lexington.

Wagner had an up-and-down season in Lexington, where he did a lot well but was plagued by injuries.

He was playing his best basketball of the season in SEC play, then had to miss time with another ankle injury, and after that, he struggled a bit down the stretch. It will be interesting to see if Wagner is able to fix his three-point shot at his next location.

He is an elite driver, and he could be an NBA All-Star type of player if he could add a consistent three-point shot.

Hearing from some NBA scouts, the issue with Wagner when it comes to his projections at the next level is the jump shot. He will need to find one or one of the best players in last year's recruiting class won't be an NBA player.

Wagner is open to all options, which means that he will take phone calls from a lot of schools. You can already assume that Coach Calipari will try and bring Wagner with him to Arkansas. While this could happen, Wagner will listen to all offers and could get a fresh start somewhere else.

Sophomore Wagner could be a scary sight in college hoops, especially if he is able to just get a little more consistent shooting the ball.

Mark Pope will look for a point guard to run his high-powered offense that requires a guard who can shoot it from deep.