Michigan State basketball: Terrence Edwards Jr. should be transfer target

Terrence Edwards Jr. has entered the transfer portal from James Madison and Michigan State basketball should take a look.

Michigan State basketball has officially hit the offseason after their disappointing loss to North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament. That means only one thing is on every Spartan fans mind: The transfer portal.

Many will argue Tom Izzo should have used the transfer portal last offseason, and I would 100 percent agree. How can you argue against that after watching this season? However, all we can do is wait and see if Izzo will use the portal this offseason.

Thankfully for him, there’s more than enough options available if they do dip their toes into the portal.

Another big name just hit the portal and it very well could be an option for Izzo.

Terrence Edwards Jr. is a 6-foot-6 junior who is coming off a monster year. He averaged 17.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game on a team that made the NCAA Tournament and went 32-4 this season. Do you Spartan fans remember who he played for?

Edwards played for James Madison and had a massive game against Michigan State in its upset win at the Breslin Center in the season opener. In that game, he finished with 24 points, five rebounds, and three assists. So who better to target in the portal then someone who helped orchestrate a huge upset over the Spartans.

NEWS: JMU guard Terrence Edwards Jr. plans to enter the transfer portal and will also declare for the NBA Draft, he tells @on3sports. ⁰⁰The 6-6 junior was the Sun Belt POY. Averaged 17.2 PPG this season.https://t.co/RAjyzpK5DB pic.twitter.com/6nOztelQV4

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) March 26, 2024

All joking aside, Edwards would be a very solid pickup for Michigan State basketball. The ability and stats are clearly there for him, so the question is if he’d be a good fit at MSU.

The Spartans do have the roster space for at least one transfer this offseason and maybe even two depending on what AJ Hoggard and Mady Sissoko decide to do. The Spartans’ biggest need in the portal is a center, but Terrence does not fit that need. But if the Spartans do have multiple spots open for a transfer then he could be a great option.

Edwards has similar size and build to Malik Hall, and it’s no secret that MSU is going to miss him next season. So Edwards would be someone that could come in and take Hall’s spot immediately and maybe even be a slight upgrade.

Terrence also has the ability to play the three which would likely be a better fit for MSU’s squad. In a perfect world, Xavier Booker is the starter for Michigan State at the four next season, so Edwards would be able to slide in next to him at the three.

The James Madison transfer has already heard from a few schools since entering the transfer portal. This includes Wisconsin, TCU, Vanderbilt, Mississippi State, Xavier, and Oregon.

James Madison transfer Terrence Edwards Jr. tells me the following schools have reached out to him since announcing his intentions to enter the portal earlier today:

Wisconsin
TCU
Vanderbilt
Mississippi State
Xavier
Oregon

Edwards averaged 17.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.4… pic.twitter.com/iaACPCkDSY

— Luke Chaney (@lukechaney247) March 26, 2024

Another important thing to note is that Edwards is also declaring for the NBA draft. He still is able to keep his college eligibility, but he’s leaving the NBA open as an option as well.

Based on the list of colleges alone, you’d have to feel confident that Michigan State can beat those schools and snag him out of the portal if they want to. But I could see the Spartans looking elsewhere for a transfer who isn’t flirting with the NBA. Most guys will immediately jump to the NBA if a team promises they will draft them, so it may be in MSU’s best interest to not waste time knowing this could happen.

But the Spartans need to make a big splash in the portal this offseason. Next year’s team has the potential to be great, but that’s only if they get some help from the portal. There are many good options out there already, but Edwards should be at the top of Izzo’s list.