3 More Potential NC State Transfer Portal Targets

RALEIGH — Justin Gainey is finally settled in as the new head coach of NC State men's basketball. Now, the work is well underway for building the next Wolfpack roster for the 2026-27 season, something Gainey is doing without his staff fully hired. For now, getting the right players in the building seems to be a priority and there are plenty of names to choose from.

While NC State is already targeting some of Gainey's old Tennessee players from his days as the associate head coach in Knoxville, there are hundreds of players for the Pack to choose from as it forms its first group under this regime. The status of Paul McNeil remains up in the air and could alter the program's approach to the transfer portal. Who else could NC State go after?

Juke Harris - Wake Forest

After a breakout season with the Demon Deacons, Juke Harris is in the transfer portal looking for a new home. Harris was awarded the ACC's Most Improved Player award and received Second-Team All-ACC honors. He is widely viewed as one of the stronger players available in the portal at this point and already has several teams interested.

There are some Wolfpack connections to Harris, dating back to when Kevin Keatts and his staff recruited the talented guard from Salisbury, N.C. Gainey could try to leverage some of those old ties. Adding Harris, who averaged 21.4 points and 6.5 rebounds as a sophomore, would give the Pack an offensive centerpiece for the 2026-27 season much stronger than anything it had last season. The price for Harris might be too steep, though, potentially handicapping the rest of the portal attack.

Najai Hines - Seton Hall

Size is going to be critical if Gainey wants to establish toughness as the identity of the program at NC State. Getting 6-foot-10 Najai Hines from Seton Hall would go a long way in improving the reputation of the program in that area. Will Wade's Wolfpack saw firsthand the impact that Hines can have on a game, as the big man scored 10 points and blocked two shots in Seton Hall's win over the Pack at the Maui Invitational.

The production isn't there on paper, as Hines averaged just 6.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, but the rim protection numbers are impressive. The center blocked 2.2 shots in just 18 minutes per game, so any improvement on the offensive end would just be a bonus for a very strong defender. While he is from New Jersey, Hines went to South Garner High School in North Carolina, so there are connections to the state.

Baye Ndongo - Georgia Tech

Baye Ndongo is a player NC State fans might've erased from their minds after he helped Georgia Tech walk away victorious over Wade's Wolfpack in the Lenovo Center during the 2025-26 season. The 6-foot-9 forward played a key role in the limited success Georgia Tech had last year, averaging 11.8 points, 8.1 rebounds and a block per game.

Dipping into the well that already burned you once could be a feast or famine move for the Wolfpack. Ndongo doesn't have any connection to Gainey or the Wolfpack other than being an old ACC foe, but his profile as a rim protector and athlete on both ends should appeal to the program.