Camden’s DJ Wagner hits the transfer portal after one season at Kentucky; Aaron Bradshaw commits to Ohio State

DJ Wagner left Camden for Kentucky with the hope — maybe even the expectation — that he would use his lone season of college basketball as a training ground for the NBA draft.

It looks like Wagner will indeed be one-and-done in Lexington, but not in the way most had planned for him.

After a disappointing freshman season, Wagner entered the transfer portal Monday. According to a report from 247Sports, “Wagner’s options will be completely open.” That includes meeting with new Kentucky coach Mark Pope, and the possibility of following John Calipari to Arkansas.

» READ MORE: Kentucky’s NCAA Tournament collapse leaves plenty of questions — especially for Philly-area NBA hopefuls

Wagner, who was one of the top-ranked players in the 2023 recruiting class, averaged 9.9 points, 3.3 assists, and 25.8 minutes in 29 appearances. Kentucky’s season ended in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament after an 80-76 loss to 14th-seeded Oakland in one of the tournament’s biggest upsets.

Wagner’s draft stock plummeted. He was once considered a surefire first-round pick, but he struggled shooting the ball and was at times forced out of the Kentucky rotation. He went scoreless in the loss to Oakland.

While Philadelphia’s Justin Edwards admitted that the pressures of being a top recruit with the expectations of being a first-round NBA draft pick were something he struggled with during parts of his lone Kentucky season, Wagner said ahead of the Oakland game that he wasn’t feeling any of that outside stuff.

“It never was like, in my mind, ‘I got to play this way, or I got to do this,’” Wagner said. “No, I’m having fun. I’m doing something I love doing.

“That’s what comes with the game, the ups and downs. It’s all about learning how to fight through adversity.”

Wagner, the son of Dajuan Wagner and grandson of Milt, said his family was helpful in navigating the ups and downs.

“It’s not always going to be perfect,” he said. “You’re not always going to play well. You just got to stay in the gym and keep going no matter what. You can’t avoid it. It comes with the game.”

» READ MORE: From 2023: Before Justin Edwards and DJ Wagner became the nation’s top recruits, they were 8th-grade teammates

Wagner and Edwards, along with Camden’s Aaron Bradshaw, made up a trio of Philly-area NBA hopefuls in Kentucky’s 2023 class. All three appear to be heading elsewhere. Edwards declared for the draft in early April, and Bradshaw last week entered the draft and transfer portal, keeping his collegiate eligibility in the process. Monday afternoon, Bradshaw announced on Instagram that he was heading to Ohio State.

It’s unclear if Bradshaw will continue with the NBA draft process. He, too, saw his draft stock suffer after a freshman season where he struggled to stay on the floor at times. Bradshaw, whose season debut was delayed after suffering a foot injury last spring, scored 4.9 points to go with 3.3 rebounds in 13.8 minutes per game.

Assuming Wagner doesn’t also transfer to Ohio State, next season will mark the first time since ninth grade that the duo doesn’t play together.

Calipari’s departure to Arkansas has opened up the floodgates for roster departures at Kentucky. Top recruit Boogie Fland asked out of his national letter of intent Monday, according to On3, becoming the fourth member of the nation’s second-ranked recruiting class to do so.