It's been a slow transfer portal for Ole Miss men's basketball. Chris Beard has added three solid players, but they need more, especially legitimate scorers. They are still invested in three or four good players from the portal, one being Memphis transfer PJ Haggerty.
The top-ranked shooting guard is rumored to be interested in Ole Miss, NC State, and other top schools. He averaged 21.7 PPG, 5.8 RPG & 3.7 APG as a sophomore last season and is a five-star rated transfer by On3.
He would be a massive get for the Rebels, who need proven point scorers. Despite the arrivals of AJ Storr and Koren Johnson, they need that one offensive player who can take the game by the scruff of the neck and put up 20+ points per game. Storr was a decent scorer at Wisconsin during the 2023-24 season, but after a down year at Kansas, we don't know what we are getting next season.
Haggerty has registered back-to-back 20+ points per game season with two different teams. First with Tulsa, then with the Tigers. The Junior is betting on himself to do that at a big Power 4 school.
The issue for Ole Miss and others is the reported NIL money he wants. It has been reported that he is looking for $4 million in NIL payments and is demanding to play the point guard position.
If that is true, despite how much Chris Beard wants him, that will be a problem. After their NCAA Tournament run, Beard will have more NIL money available. However, $4 million for one player is too steep and likely goes against the principles of the program.
As mentioned, they are just reports, so they may not be true. If, in fact, it's much lower, Ole Miss will be in for him, and it could be the difference between a great or a good season in 20205-26.