Should Michigan State basketball pursue any Michigan transfers?

Michigan State basketball could be in the market for some transfers this offseason. Should the Spartans target any Wolverines?

Michigan State basketball is gearing up for another shot at making a run in the NCAA Tournament, but there’s something else brewing right now: the transfer portal.

Now I won’t dive into why it’s really dumb for the portal to open up when the NCAA Tournament hasn’t started, so hopefully that timeframe changes soon. But Tom Izzo and the Michigan State staff have some decisions to make on their hands. Do they target anyone in the transfer portal? If so, who do they target?

The Spartans’ in-state rival Michigan’s season is over, and they have already had some players enter the portal. Should Michigan State target any of the Wolverines?

Dug McDaniel and Tarris Reed?

The first Michigan player to enter the portal was their star point guard Dug McDaniel. He was by far their best player, but I don’t think MSU should target him. His style of play is very much one-on-one hero ball and he never seems motivated to play defense. So I’d pass on Dug.

However, a second Wolverine entered the portal on Wednesday, and I think Izzo could go after him.

BREAKING: Michigan big man Tarris Reed plans to enter the transfer portal, he tells @On3sports.⁰⁰The 6-10 sophomore averaged 9.0 PTS & 7.2 REB this season. Former top-35 recruit. Big addition to the portal.

Story: https://t.co/sdRylUFpoK pic.twitter.com/yXHl79kWDc

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) March 19, 2024

Tarris Reed is a sophomore for Michigan and is coming off a very solid year for the Wolverines. He is a 6-foot-10 power forward and averaged 9.0 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. One important thing to note is that he averages almost two more rebounds per game than MSU’s leader in that category.

Out of high school, Reed was a four-star top-40 player in the 2022 class. He also was the No. 10 center in the country as well. So based on these rankings and the production he’s already had at Michigan, it’s clear that he is a very solid player. But should Michigan State target him?

It’s no secret that MSU has struggled in the post for a few years now. The Spartans also don’t have a high profile big man coming in as a freshman that they can rely on either. We also have to factor in if Mady Sissoko decides to come back for his COVID year as well.

But regardless of if Sissoko returns or not, I think Reed should be a target for Izzo. Reed, in my opinion, is a better option down low than anyone on MSU’s current roster, Sissoko included. So I do think the Michigan State basketball staff should go after him.

You might then ask if Reed would even be interested in coming to Michigan State. Why would he want to play for his former schools biggest rival? If Reed is able to get past MSU being his former rival, then it could make sense for him to come to East Lansing. The opportunity for playing time next year is there for him, and he could even compete to be the starter. And if Reed did come to Michigan State, he could play the five which would allow Xavier Booker to play the four which is his natural position.

Regardless of if Izzo decides to target Reed or not, he likely will need to target at least one big man. The portal just opened, so many more options will become available in the future, but Reed is a great option that MSU is familiar with, so he would be an excellent player to go after.