The NCAA transfer portal window for men’s basketball closed on Tuesday, but plenty of players remain in the portal waiting to be singed.
Florida basketball will look to continue to rebuild its backcourt after losing all three of its starters from its national championship team. In addition, the Florida Gators surprisingly lost junior guard Denzel Aberdeen to the portal on Friday.
Advertisement
Defending national champion UF is also dealing with the uncertainty of possibly losing two frontcourt starters to the NBA Draft, as both forward Alex Condon and center Rueben Chinyelu have put their names into the draft with an option to return. Condon and Chinyelu have until May 28 to decide whether to keep their names in the draft or return to school.
“Our staff and our team will continue to work as hard as we can to give ourselves the best chance to be successful,” Florida basketball coach Todd Golden said. “Obviously, we have elevated our program back to a national championship level. Now it’s about trying to sustain it. It’s about doing everything we can to not allow it to slip at all.”
Here’s a look at who UF has gained and lost during the spring transfer period so far:
Florida basketball transfers added
G Xaivian Lee, Princeton
Lee signed with UF on Tuesday, where he projects to take over as starting point guard for departed All-American guard Walter Clayton Jr.
Advertisement
A two-time, all-first team Ivy League selection, the 6-foot-4, 180-pound Lee averaged 16.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 5.4 assists at Princeton in the 2024-25 season and has scored 1,154 career points. A Toronto native, Lee scored 20 or more points 10 times during the 2024-25 while notching a pair of triple-doubles.
Lee also showed an ability to shine against high-major caliber competition, finishing with 21 points and 11 assists in a neutral site game against Big Ten opponent Rutgers.
“Xaivian is an electric playmaker that is an equal threat to score or facilitate off the bounce,” Golden said. “He does a great job of leading the team, putting his teammates in position to be successful while taking great care of the basketball.
“While our three senior leaders move on from the perimeter, it was really important to add someone of Xaivian’s caliber both as a player and as a person.”
Florida basketball transfers lost
G Denzel Aberdeen
Aberdeen announced his intentions to enter the transfer portal on Friday after averaging 7.7 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 39 games and five starts for UF as a junior.
Advertisement
By Monday, the 6-foot-5, 190-pound Aberdeen found a new home, signing with SEC rival Kentucky.
Aberdeen, an Orlando native and former Dr. Phillips High standout, was projected to return as a starter as a senior. But Aberdeen’s father, Ian Aberdeen, told Kentucky Sports Radio that his son opted to enter the portal on Friday after negotiations for a new Name, Image and Likeness deal went south.
Aberdeen chose Kentucky after hearing from Texas Tech and Indiana.
“That’s been Denzel’s dream school from day one when he started playing basketball,” Ian Aberdeen told KSR. “They hit on everything good, bad, what Denzel needed to work on and what he was good at.”
F Sam Alexis
The 6-foot-8, 240-pound Alexis averaged 4.7 points and 3.5 rebounds in 24 games in his lone season at UF. He suffered an ankle injury on Feb. 11 against Mississippi State and appeared in just one more game the rest of the season, playing a minute off the bench in UF’s Sweet 16 win over Maryland.
Advertisement
An Apopka native, Alexis transferred in from Chattanooga and has one season of eligibility left. West Virginia reportedly has shown interest in adding him.
G Kajus Kublickas
The 6-foot-2 Kublickas, from Kaunas, Lithuania, opted to enter the transfer portal after appearing in 15 games over two seasons with the Florida Gators.
In six games for national champion UF in 2024-25, Kublickas averaged 0.7 points and 1.2 rebounds. In 2023-24, Kublickas appeared in nine games, scoring seven points with four assists, three rebounds and a steal.
Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1
This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Florida basketball transfer tracker following 2024-25 season
