Bruins Early Contenders for UNLV Transfer G

The UCLA Bruins have emerged as an early destination for UNLV sophomore transfer guard Dedan Thomas Jr. as he has entered the transfer portal, per On3's Joe Tipton. Thomas is a 6-1 guard who will be a junior next season and has a high ceiling for his final two years of collegiate ball.

Thomas was a deadly guard for the 18-15 Rebels that finished sixth in the Mountain West this season. He averaged a career-high 15.6 points on 41.9% shooting with 4.7 assists, leading the team in both categories. He also led the Rebels in scoring 14 times this year.

The Las Vegas native started all 26 games that he played before suffering a shoulder injury that would sideline him for the final seven games of the season, including two contests in the conference tournament.

Tipton also mentioned that the Bruins are not the only school gunning for Thomas' commitment as the Florida Gators are reportedly in the mix. As the transfer portal begins to heat up and the college basketball season concludes, there will surely be more schools looking to bring in Thomas's talent.

The Bruins are in search of more productive guard play as they lose senior guards Kobe Johnson and Lazar Stefanovic at the end of this season. Thomas could comfortably fit into a backcourt rotation with remaining Bruin guards such as Skyy Clark, Dylan Andrews and Sebastian Mack.

As we have seen with many of the talented programs in college basketball this year, depth is everything. St. John's, Michigan State and Alabama are all teams with immense depth and bench scoring, leading to their success this season.

Thomas would bring that, even if he were to start, due to the other UCLA guards having strong versatility. Mack is going to be an elite scorer next year while Clark's shooting has improved incredibly. This could be an entirely new team in the 2025-26 season.

The official men's basketball transfer portal window spans from March 24 to April 22, giving Thomas and others ample time to make a decision and transfer to a new school. His addition would be a massive plus for a Bruins offense that ranked 14th in the Big Ten in points per game (74.8).