The Transfer Portal is a completely chaotic two-way street that gives, and can brutally take away.
While BBN is currently stressing over which pieces of last year's roster might pack their bags and leave Lexington. Don't forget to look at the premium talent about to hit the open market around the country. Case in point, the Washington Huskies have a player that every single Kentucky fan should be begging Mark Pope to convince to stay in college.
Hannes Steinbach.
If you do not know the name yet, I really don't blame you. He spent this past season buried on an absolutely terrible Washington team in the Big 10. The Huskies had a potential lottery pick and could only muster a 16-17 record. Despite the dysfunction surrounding him in Seattle, Steinbach was an absolute superstar.
A statistical monster in the Pacific Northwest
Steinbach put up the kind of absurd, video-game numbers that command immediate national attention.
He finished the 2025-26 campaign averaging 18.5 points and 11.8 rebounds, playing around 35 minutes per game. The 6-foot-11 German forward shot nearly 58% from the floor, knocked down 34% of his 3-point attempts, and converted at a 76% clip from the free-throw line. He can shoot it.
He wasn't just quietly going about and getting his points and rebounds. He was a walking mismatch. Steinbach logged 22 double-doubles this season, and that was only the start. He also recorded a monstrous 20-point, 20-rebound game, along with multiple 20-15 games. If you can think of Oscar Tshibwe with a jumper, that would be Steinbach. No need to evaluate any further, you just have to go get him. But there is a caveat.
The massive NBA Draft dilemma
The biggest hurdle for Mark Pope isn't worrying about Washington; it is highly unlikely anyone would want to repeat the year they just had. No, the biggest issue would be fending off the NBA.
Steinbach has clearly played his way into the professional conversation. There aren't many guys who can do what he does. As Huskies beat writer Mark Knight recently pointed out in his coverage, if Steinbach projects as a true lottery pick, he could be staring at $3 million to $4 million in guaranteed rookie money. Walking away from that money is difficult to walk from, until you look at the big picture.
The timing of the draft classes creates a fascinating decision.
The 2026 NBA Draft lottery is absolutely stacked with premium talent. Cam Boozer, Koa Peat, Caleb Wilson, Darius Acuff, AJ Dybantsa, Darryn Peterson, and you can go down the line.
Conversely, the incoming high school class is widely viewed by industry scouts as significantly weaker, which means the 2027 NBA Draft will be far less top-heavy. If Steinbach chooses to stay in college for another year and collect premium NIL money at a blue-blood program like Kentucky, it makes a lot of sense. Then he could enter a much weaker draft pool next year, ultimately securing a much higher draft slot and significantly more money.
If he decides to test the collegiate waters rather than jumping straight to the pros, there shouldn't be a single second that goes by that Mark Pope isn't doing all he can to get him to Lexington.