Flory Bidunga was one of the best bigs in men’s college basketball this season. The Kansas Jayhawks just got great news regarding head coach Bill Self, who is set to return for his 24th year on the job, but it was quickly followed by bad news on their star center.

Bidunga is entering the transfer portal while also testing the 2026 NBA Draft waters, according to ESPN’s Pete Thamel. If he turns pro, Bidunga is likely right on the cusp of the first-round. He was a first-round pick in our mock drafts earlier in the season, but he didn’t make our most recent projection after an up-and-down final month to the year before Kansas was eliminated by St. John’s in the round of 32 in the 2026 NCAA tournament.

Bidunga is the best player in the transfer portal so far, and he’s likely going to be command one of the biggest NIL payments in the country if he does return to college. Here are six potential landing spots for Bidunga next season, ranked by the most appealing outcomes.

I assume Yaxel Lendeborg, Aday Mara, and Morez Johnson will all enter the NBA Draft. If that happens, head coach Dusty May will need to build entirely through the transfer portal again, and Bidunga would be a good place to start. Bidunga isn’t quite as massive as Michigan usually likes its centers — he measured 6’7 barefoot with a 7’2 wingspan — but there’s no denying his talent. Lendeborg was the top player in the transfer portal last season and he chose Michigan over Kentucky and others. Bidunga could end up as the No. 1 player in the portal this year, so I’d expect the Wolverines to show some level of interest.

5. North Carolina Tar Heels

North Carolina doesn’t even have a head coach yet, but whoever they hire is going to want a massive NIL budget, and they might need a new center. The Tar Heels’ first priority under a new coach should be trying to retain 7-footer Henri Veesaar for his senior season. Veesaar’s NBA stock feels similar to Bidunga’s where he might be a first-rounder, but he’s more likely to go in the early second round. Given that Veesaar can shoot pretty well from deep, I almost wonder if UNC would want Bidunga with Veesaar if both choose to stay in college. Hey, going super big up front is working pretty well in college hoops these days, with Michigan and Florida as the prime examples.

Bidunga should draw serious NBA interest as a bouncy big man who can protect the rim, hit the glass, and finish lobs inside. If you want a pro comp, I like Robert “TimeLord” Williams as a rough framework for how Bidunga can work in the league. I could see the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics both being interested in him at pick No. 26 and No. 27 respectively if the season ended today. He would also make a lot of sense for the Chicago Bulls with their early second-round pick from the New Orleans Pelicans, which is currently No. 38 overall. It would make sense if Bidunga is looking for a first-round guarantee to stay in the draft, but lately more teams have been giving out first-round contracts to priority second rounders. I could see a team offering Bidunga a guaranteed contract far above the minimum to get him in the second round. He would have to think long and hard about that.

Will Malachi Moreno enter the 2026 NBA Draft? I’d bet on him staying one more year in college. Moreno is good enough to be a starting center on a blue blood next season in my opinion, but Kentucky still might have interest in Bidunga. UK reportedly spent $22 million on its roster this past season only to lose in the round of 32. There’s a little bit of heat on head coach Mark Pope entering year three, and he’s going to need to get some elite players to have the best season possible. Bidunga fits that mix whether Moreno returns or not.

Entering the transfer portal is good business for any star player because you get to see your market value before asking for a raise from your incumbent school if you really do want to return. Bidunga has it all at Kansas: a big role, love from the fanbase, and the return of Bill Self. It’s hard to top Lawrence. I wouldn’t be shocked if he returned for his junior season like this little transfer portal excursion never happened.

Duke will lose Cameron Boozer, Patrick Ngongba, and Maliq Brown to the NBA in the front court. The Blue Devils will need a veteran starting center with advanced shot blocking skills to pair with their newest five-star phenom Cam Williams, a sweet-shooting 7-footer who is super talented but isn’t close to the same level as Boozer and Cooper Flagg the last two years. Bidunga feels like a perfect center to put next to Williams. He can eat inside while Williams spaces the floor, plus he can aggressively attack the offensive glass as Williams launches away from three. You have to think Duke will go after a big name transfer to be their starting center. It’s possible Bidunga will be the top name on the market at that position, and that means Duke should be interested.