UCLA’s men’s basketball roster will look pretty different this season after the departures of a few upperclassmen and transfers, but the Bruins have been able to add a few pieces to soften the blow.
Four experienced college basketball players are joining the program through the transfer portal, and each one will likely play an important role. Yet, they’ll also each fare differently because taking a chance on transfers can be a gamble, and things don’t always work out as expected.
But who is the Bruins’ biggest gamble of the four transfers in 2026?
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UCLA’s Biggest Transfer Portal Gamble
That title should belong to Mississippi State transfer Sergej Macura. He plays a position of need as the Bruins look to replace the rest of their frontcourt alongside Xavier Booker, particularly Tyler Bilodeau and his role as a high-level contributor in the offense.
But UCLA hasn’t added a “one-for-one” replacement for the second-round NBA Draft pick and may need to turn to a committee-based approach to solve the issue.
Mar 11, 2026; Nashville, TN, USA; Auburn Tigers guard Keyshawn Hall (7) strips the ball from Mississippi State Bulldogs forward Sergej Macura (11) during the second half at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
Macura will be part of the solution, but like most players, he has his positives and negatives. On the positive side, he plays the same position as Bilodeau and brings similar physical measurements at 6-foot-9 and 220 pounds and has plenty of playing experience — not just in college basketball.
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He’s a former pro player in Europe who excelled on the FIBA circuit and was part of a Serbian team that produced five current college basketball players, including fellow UCLA transfer Filip Jovic (Auburn).
Mar 12, 2026; Nashville, TN, USA; Auburn Tigers head coach Steven Pearl talks with forward Filip Jovic (38) against the Tennessee Volunteers during the first half at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
On the more negative side, Macura’s game doesn’t bring the same offensive capabilities, and that is the big hole UCLA may struggle to fill. He averaged just five points per game at Mississippi State last season with little success from three-point range, where Bilodeau excelled.
Instead. Macura is much more of a rebounder at this point, and as a 22-year-old sophomore, he’s likely more polished and refined than most sophomores would normally be. That can be a positive in terms of experience, but it also means that he may not have much more room for development and really “is what he is” at this point.
Mississippi State Bulldogs forward Sergej Macura (11) is guarded by Mississippi Rebels guard Travis Perry (11) in a NCAA men’s college basketball game at the Sandy and John Black Pavilion at Ole Miss in Oxford, Miss. on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. | Bruce Newman/Special to the Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
If that’s the case, UCLA will need to find a near-perfect rotation to get the right skill sets in the game, and that may lead to less playing time for Macura. His upside and experience are potential benefits to adding him to the roster, but it’s far from guaranteed that Sergey Macura will become a significant player for the UCLA basketball program.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/ucla as UCLA Basketball’s Biggest Transfer Portal Gamble for 2026.
