Oregon basketball making Texas Tech transfer Nimari Burnett a priority

Expect Dana Altman and Oregon basketball to be heavy hitters in the transfer portal this offseason. One name to watch is Nimari Burnett.

Dana Altman and Co. are busy preparing for VCU in the NCAA Tournament’s first round on Saturday night, but it’s never too early to start thinking about next year’s roster.

Losing guys like LG Figueroa, Chris Duarte and Eugene Omoruyi will leave huge voids on the roster — unless they decide to utilize that free year of eligibility. Still those are three big names and leaders that will leave holes on the roster.

Altman is already checking into the transfer portal like he did heavily last offseason, landing some of the above names. In fact, a couple of days ago, the name Justin Powell surfaced as a possibility for the Ducks. He’s an Auburn point guard transfer who was one of the most promising freshmen in the SEC this season.

Another name to keep an eye on has to be former McDonald’s All-American and Texas Tech transfer Nimari Burnett.

Burnett was one of the most sought-after recruits in the 2020 class before picking Texas Tech and his decision to transfer was a bit of a surprise. The Chicago, Ill., prospect was the No. 34 recruit in the country and sixth-best combo guard in the class, according to the 247Sports composite.

Standing 6-4, 190 pounds, he’d be an almost identical size replacement for Duarte at the guard spot. He’s an inch or two shorter than Duarte and struggled a bit as a freshman, but he could be molded into a special player in Oregon.

Don’t let the field goal percentage of 28 or 3-point percentage of 17 fool you, this kid is going to be good wherever he goes and he only has 12 games as a collegiate player under his belt.

Oregon has been heavily involved from the get-go, but the Ducks will have to hold off the likes of Alabama, USC, Vanderbilt and Illinois as his mid-April decision timeframe approaches.