1st domino falls in Duke’s Flory Bidunga pursuit, and it may take Michigan off the board

Kansas forward Flory Bidunga is considered the top transfer in this year’s portal market. The 6-foot-10 reigning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year has two years of eligibility remaining after his breakout sophomore year in Lawrence, and Jon Scheyer has positioned Duke as one of the top contenders to land his services. 

That list could suddenly be shrinking too. On Thursday, Michigan made its first portal addition after winning it all three days prior, acquiring Tennessee transfer JP Estrella. The pickup may not completely take the Wolverines out of the Bidunga market, especially if Estrella’s arrival signals that Aday Mara is heading to the NBA, but if nothing else, it signals that Dusty May isn’t overly confident that Bidunga will land in Ann Arbor. 

Bidunga is heading to Louisville for a joint visit with Oregon point guard Jackson Shelstad on Friday, but with St. John’s and Michigan presumably still in the mix, the sweepstakes are far from over. Duke still has a puncher’s chance, and that’s great news because the Blue Devils desperately need him. 

Michigan adds Tennessee F JP Estrella, which could open the race for Flory Bidunga

With Cameron Boozer off to become a top-pick this summer, Patrick Ngongba mulling an NBA future, and Maliq Brown out of eligibility, the Blue Devils need a major front-court addition in this year’s portal cycle. None would be bigger than Bidunga. 

Michigan isn’t necessarily out of the contest because of the Estrella pickup. He’s a quality rebounder and interior scoring presence, but he provides almost nothing as a rim protector, so Bidunga’s skill set as an athletic defensive anchor would still be valuable if Mara is out the door. If Morez Johnson Jr. also leaves the NBA, then the need for Bidunga in Ann Arbor is just as great as anywhere, but that feels unlikely. 

Still, it would be surprising to see May take another big before adding Bidunga, and he would be amassing a glut of non-shooting bigs. The reason his three-big lineup worked so well this season is that Yaxel Lendeborg developed into a 37 percent three-point shooter on high-volume with legit guard skills at 6-foot-9. None of Mara, Johnson, Estrella, or Bidunga is a shooter, and none of them can credibly grab-and-go as a one-man fast-break like Lendeborg. 

Duke’s roster, like Michigan’s is in flux. But, five-star big man Cameron Williams seems be a lock at starting power forward. He’s a lengthy front court shot creator who would more seamslessly pair with Bidunga. 

The question, though, isn’t whether Duke wants Bidunga; seemingly, every team in the country would. It’s whether it can land him, and whether it dampens May’s interest or not, Estrella to Michigan is clearly the first domino.