LSU Men's Basketball Suffers First Transfer Portal Casualty

Despite the transfer portal not opening until March 24th, a lot of players around the country are beginning to announce their intentions to enter the transfer portal. The first LSU player to do so is Tyrell Ward, which isn't all that surprising.

Prior to the start of the 2024-2025 season, Ward left the team to focus on his mental health. It proved to be a massive loss for the Tigers, who struggled shooting the ball from behind the arc this year.

The 6-foot-6, 195-pound guard from Washington, D.C. was one of LSU's best players in 2023-2024 when LSU went 9-9 in SEC play. He averaged 9.5 points while shooting 41.3% from three on 4.1 attempts per game. He was LSU's sharpshooter, and without him on the floor, the Tigers shot just 30.5% from deep in 2024-2025.

It was reported that LSU's administration was going to back Matt McMahon with more NIL money this offseason so he can go out and get some talent to compete in a loaded SEC next year. The expectation is that LSU will lose some big name guys, but they're also expected to be very active in the transfer portal this spring.

Ward was a someone who was always going to transfer out, but now it's official. Don't be surprised to see some more guys exit the program over the coming days and weeks as well.