2024 Transfer Portal Thread

[walkenvol]

We will never know what kind of money he will get but no chance he will be a UT and get that kind of money. Definitely not for basketball.

Why say that as it’s been posted on here that we has $4 or $11 million basketball NIL budget?

This entire NIL speculation and reporting is as crazy as the COVID vaccine debate.

 

[berryvol]

Why say that as it’s been posted on here that we has $4 or $11 million basketball NIL budget?

This entire NIL speculation and reporting is as crazy as the COVID vaccine debate.

It’s a fact we do not have 11 million. I’d wager a fair amount that no school in the country sets 8 figures aside for basketball NIL.

 

[cncchris33]

Can't afford not to pay him that at this point. You've boxed yourself in a corner.

Not sure what kind of kid he is, so I hope no one views this as me impugning his character, but if he parlays this waiting game into a bidding war that garners him a 7-figure NIL deal, then he really played this (and Tennessee) well.

Two months ago, I questioned whether he could ramp his game up another level to be the primary option at an SEC-level program after it took him four years to make an impact at North Florida. Now he is going to possibly get overpaid on that hope, and like you said, we kind of are in a situation where we either pay it or miss out, likely to our biggest rival, with not a lot of great options still available.

 

[TrippieRedd]

I think Pope has done a nice job building a team, but I do think that will come at a cost his first season.

A ton of mouths to feed where the kids were “the dude” at their previous stop. It’s fine getting 3-4 guys together, but when you assemble a whole team with guys wanting minutes/ on their last season, it may not be a recipe for success.

Krisa had 33mpg
Brea had 29mpg
Garrison had 22mpg
Carr had 32mpg
Oweh (only a jr) but still had 25mpg
Butler had 28mpg
Williams had 25 mpg

If you add Chaz and Jaxon Robinson that’s another 55+ minutes combined.

I say good luck

 

[Chaz-Vol]

Not sure what kind of kid he is, so I hope no one views this as me impugning his character, but if he parlays this waiting game into a bidding war that garners him a 7-figure NIL deal, then he really played this (and Tennessee) well.

Two months ago, I questioned whether he could ramp his game up another level to be the primary option at an SEC-level program after it took him four years to make an impact at North Florida. Now he is going to possibly get overpaid on that hope, and like you said, we kind of are in a situation where we either pay it or miss out, likely to our biggest rival, with not a lot of great options still available.

It's similar to Julian Phillips year when Vols really paid a premium for him that summer because not a lot of dudes were left. Not saying Lanier can't produce at a much higher level but certainly vols will be putting forth a good amount of money for him.

 

[Rushin Orange Collusion]

We will never know what kind of money he will get but no chance he will be a UT and get that kind of money. Definitely not for basketball.

If we didn’t pay Dalton Knecht that much, then it’s hard to imagine shelling it out for this player. Hopefully, we have other irons in the fire!

 

[berryvol]

Not sure what kind of kid he is, so I hope no one views this as me impugning his character, but if he parlays this waiting game into a bidding war that garners him a 7-figure NIL deal, then he really played this (and Tennessee) well.

Two months ago, I questioned whether he could ramp his game up another level to be the primary option at an SEC-level program after it took him four years to make an impact at North Florida. Now he is going to possibly get overpaid on that hope, and like you said, we kind of are in a situation where we either pay it or miss out, likely to our biggest rival, with not a lot of great options still available.

This is basically my thought. I don’t even think it makes him a bad kid if he’s wanting that much. He’s not a sure-fire NBA guy even after a year in the SEC. I make good money at my job and getting 7 figures over the course of 1 year would be life changing for me - I’m sure a lot on here are in the same boat. He’d be crazy to not maximize his earning potential in his final year of college ball and our staff would have been crazy to not factor in that this could/would happen. Should be interesting to watch this play out, but I’m still (maybe foolishly) believing he’s a vol until BTO or SF tell us he’s not

 

[Weezer]

I've continually read "We don't do bidding wars" since NIL was introduced. So if it comes down to a bidding war, it's hard for me to imagine Lanier comes here. No idea what we've offered, but I assume our offer is our offer, and if someone tops it, and money is his primary goal, then he's gone. But money may be secondary to him if reaching the NBA is truly his goal. I think we have more minutes to offer than KY, and I think Rick Barnes can really help him improve his defense. It just comes down to what he's really looking for IMO.

 

[cncchris33]

This is basically my thought. I don’t even think it makes him a bad kid if he’s wanting that much. He’s not a sure-fire NBA guy even after a year in the SEC. I make good money at my job and getting 7 figures over the course of 1 year would be life changing for me - I’m sure a lot on here are in the same boat. He’d be crazy to not maximize his earning potential in his final year of college ball and our staff would have been crazy to not factor in that this could/would happen. Should be interesting to watch this play out, but I’m still (maybe foolishly) believing he’s a vol until BTO or SF tell us he’s not

Yeah, the cynic could look at this scenario playing out and think he played Tennessee like a fiddle, and they might be right. But regardless, he holds the cards now, and it's up to Tennessee to decide whether to double down or fold. You can't blame Lanier for getting what he can. No one realistically believes that he will or should turn down $1 million from UK to come to Tennessee for $400k just because they had some gentlemanly agreement behind closed doors.

 

[Vols All Day]

If we didn’t pay Dalton Knecht that much, then it’s hard to imagine shelling it out for this player. Hopefully, we have other irons in the fire!

Terrible take right here. Lanier is the most efficient player in college basketball. Lanier is more efficient than DK was prior to coming to Tennessee and at Tennesee.

Dalton Knecht - 2022-23 - Men's Basketball - University of Northern Colorado Athletics

Dalton Knecht (5) Guard - 2021-22 -Played in 34 games for the Bears, averaging 24.2 minutes per game -Averaged 9.1 points per game -Finished with a total

uncbears.com

Chaz Lanier - 2023-24 - Men's Basketball - University of North Florida Athletics

Chaz Lanier (2) Guard - ASUN First Team All-Conference (2023-24) NABC First Team All-District (2023-24) CSC Academic All-District Team (2023-24) ASUN All-Academic

unfospreys.com

 

[CNeagleVolFan]

Yeah, the cynic could look at this scenario playing out and think he played Tennessee like a fiddle, and they might be right. But regardless, he holds the cards now, and it's up to Tennessee to decide whether to double down or fold. You can't blame Lanier for getting what he can. No one realistically believes that he will or should turn down $1 million from UK to come to Tennessee for $400k just because they had some gentlemanly agreement behind closed doors.

Who’s to say any of this is true. Rob Lewis even said he didn’t know for sure about the rumors. It sounds like we’re getting his first visit though so that’s a great sign either way. If it goes well we may very well get him. I also believe Tennessee has a lot more money to play with than some would think, and that they will get him a great deal sorted out to get him to come here.

 

[cncchris33]

Who’s to say any of this is true. Rob Lewis even said he didn’t know for sure about the rumors. It sounds like we’re getting his first visit though so that’s a great sign either way. If it goes well we may very well get him. I also believe Tennessee has a lot more money to play with than some would think, and that they will get him a great deal sorted out to get him to come here.

Well, 99.9% of the people discussing it on the internet have zero idea of whether his asking price is accurate or not, both of us included, so I felt it went without saying, "Assuming this is true..."

Discussing only the things we know to be factual with regards to the transfer portal would make the discussions extremely boring and none of us would care or pay attention until after he visited and signed.

 

[Stoerner Fumbles]

Not sure what kind of kid he is, so I hope no one views this as me impugning his character, but if he parlays this waiting game into a bidding war that garners him a 7-figure NIL deal, then he really played this (and Tennessee) well.

Two months ago, I questioned whether he could ramp his game up another level to be the primary option at an SEC-level program after it took him four years to make an impact at North Florida. Now he is going to possibly get overpaid on that hope, and like you said, we kind of are in a situation where we either pay it or miss out, likely to our biggest rival, with not a lot of great options still available.

My access only goes so far, but I can lend a little context— He and his family are pretty invested in him coming here. Pope has put on the hard sell, and it will require us to adjust our numbers a bit, but not to the degree being discussed. We are allowing for that flexibility, and I think that is smart in this market. As I’ve mentioned before, this year is markedly different. He will cost more than Knecht, but Knecht would cost more than Lanier in 24. It is what it is. If it were truly to become a “bidding war”, we’d opt out. I don’t think it will. He’s going to visit this week. I won’t be surprised if this is wrapped up by early to middle of next week. In three months of talking to people in the program, they’ve never been concerned that we’ll lose him. I could be wrong, they could be wrong, things could change etc… I still feel good. Like you, I believe his game will change against better/longer defenders, but I do believe he’ll do well here.

 

[GoodTimeVol]

Lanier could be committed to us and we would have posters on here wondering if he signed every day worried, it’s ridiculous.

We have plenty of “resources” to get him to Tenn and he has been our #1 priority since the transfer portal opened. At one point Maryland thought they were in the running now it’s Kentucky lol just stop and let common sense spread into your life…also recognize anything can happen but just know he is priority number #1 for this staff and always has been

 

[cncchris33]

My access only goes so far, but I can lend a little context— He and his family are pretty invested in him coming here. Pope has put on the hard sell, and it will require us to adjust our numbers a bit, but not to the degree being discussed. We are allowing for that flexibility, and I think that is smart in this market. As I’ve mentioned before, this year is markedly different. He will cost more than Knecht, but Knecht would cost more than Lanier in 24. It is what it is. If it were truly to become a “bidding war”, we’d opt out. I don’t think it will. He’s going to visit this week. I won’t be surprised if this is wrapped up by early to middle of next week. In three months of talking to people in the program, they’ve never been concerned that we’ll lose him. I could be wrong, they could be wrong, things could change etc… I still feel good. Like you, I believe his game will change against better/longer defenders, but I do believe he’ll do well here.

Good to know. None of that really surprises me based on your previous comments about the current landscape. It is good to know that we aren’t being rigid and stubborn from a financial perspective. Appreciate you chiming in.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

Lanier and his family are also weighing the money made by improving your stock like the Knecht path, that’s a huge selling point. Not saying it’s the case, but if UK is offering $500k more, is that worth a complete shot in the dark on development? What has Pope proven in that regard? How much money did Knecht make by coming to Tennessee?

 

[omghulkhands]

Lanier and his family are also weighing the money made by improving your stock like the Knecht path, that’s a huge selling point. Not saying it’s the case, but if UK is offering $500k more, is that worth a complete shot in the dark on development? What has Pope proven in that regard? How much money did Knecht make by coming to Tennessee?

Looking at the rookie pay scale and his draft projection I’d say it was worth at least $13M in his first NBA contract alone

 

[berryvol]

Looking at the rookie pay scale and his draft projection I’d say it was worth at least $13M in his first NBA contract alone

Also, if he hadn’t been developed and drafted, he could be fighting for his life in the g league. He gets that service time clock ticking on his NBA pension and lifetime benefits, which is also valuable if you don’t make get a mammoth second or third deal in the league.

 

[Chaz-Vol]

Lanier and his family are also weighing the money made by improving your stock like the Knecht path, that’s a huge selling point. Not saying it’s the case, but if UK is offering $500k more, is that worth a complete shot in the dark on development? What has Pope proven in that regard? How much money did Knecht make by coming to Tennessee?

I think this is an important point with Pope. He's not Cal who's produced huge portion NBA all star rosters. He's unproven coach in many regards including getting kids to next level. An extra 400K for one year is nothing compared to NBA contract that Knecht is about to make.

 

[bleedingTNorange]

Looking at the rookie pay scale and his draft projection I’d say it was worth at least $13M in his first NBA contract alone

Exactly…and maybe he has the same result at Kentucky, but it sure seems more risky than it does at Tennessee. So while our NIL number can’t be insulting I don’t think UK being willing to spend a few hundred thousand extra makes up for the difference, but I could also be wrong.

 

[CNeagleVolFan]

Exactly…and maybe he has the same result at Kentucky, but it sure seems more risky than it does at Tennessee. So while our NIL number can’t be insulting I don’t think UK being willing to spend a few hundred thousand extra makes up for the difference, but I could also be wrong.

I think it’s pretty telling that it does seem like we will get the first visit this week. Granted, if those rumors are true. Whenever he does come in selling him hard on being the next DK, and showing how well DK is doing at the combine should help things. I don’t think it would be too far fetched to suggest we would offer him between 750,000-1,000,000 to play for us, but I don’t think it’s likely. If we can sell him on getting him pro ready and offer him 750,000 it would take a lot for Kentucky to overcome that IMO.

 

[volpack2]

I think this is an important point with Pope. He's not Cal who's produced huge portion NBA all star rosters. He's unproven coach in many regards including getting kids to next level. An extra 400K for one year is nothing compared to NBA contract that Knecht is about to make.

Not to mention that Kentucky has a 4.5% income tax that we don’t have in Tennessee so all of the income in Kentucky is not net.

 

[cncchris33]

Lanier and his family are also weighing the money made by improving your stock like the Knecht path, that’s a huge selling point. Not saying it’s the case, but if UK is offering $500k more, is that worth a complete shot in the dark on development? What has Pope proven in that regard? How much money did Knecht make by coming to Tennessee?

That's another point I considered but I also don't know that Lanier is as tailor-made for the NBA as Knecht is, and perhaps he knows that deep down. Getting money up front may be important to him. But to your point, I do think that he has a better chance of getting coached up and maximizing his talent under a proven commodity like Barnes. There is also probably a clearer path to playing time in Knoxville given that no one really knows how things shake out in Lexington with 13 new faces.

 

[TrippieRedd]

That's another point I considered but I also don't know that Lanier is as tailor-made for the NBA as Knecht is, and perhaps he knows that deep down. Getting money up front may be important to him. But to your point, I do think that he has a better chance of getting coached up and maximizing his talent under a proven commodity like Barnes. There is also probably a clearer path to playing time in Knoxville given that no one really knows how things shake out in Lexington with 13 new faces.

A lot of mouths to feed. I’m sure he’s looking at that as well.

7+ players all seniors that played 28+ mpg last year. Those minutes will go down tremendously.

So, like y’all are saying, he won’t get showcased there like he will at UT.

 

[Vols till I fall]

At this point, I think you offer Lanier close to what he wants in terms of NIL money. He seems to be the piece to the puzzle that turns this team from a top 25 team to maybe top 5? I'm sure we have backup options if things go south, but I'm not sure we want to take a risk on a project player out of Europe?

Feel like we need more scoring and that is what Lanier brings. Dunlap and Lanier would make a very good 1-2 punch