Donovan Dent Commits to UCLA

The first major transfer portal domino fell over the weekend.

It was announced that New Mexico guard Donovan Dent will transfer to UCLA. Numbers on the move are unknown — those reported rumors indicate Dent may be signing an agreement worth roughly $3 million.

This is a major coup for Mick Cronin and the Bruins. Guard play was the driving force behind some inconsistent stretches for UCLA. Despite finishing in the top-four within the Big Ten this year, imagine what the team would’ve looked like had they possessed Dent running the show.

A native of Southern California, Dent grew up playing with multiple ex-Bruins. He’s said to be extremely close to current UCLA guard Eric Freeny. The prospect of coming home to play for the most storied program in the country — and one in a major conference is something too good to pass up.

Reportedly, Dent chose UCLA over heavy interest from Duke and Kentucky. With Dylan Andrews and Sebastian Mack transferring out of UCLA, the Bruins should enter next year with a rock-solid guard duo featuring Dent and Skyy Clark.

Dent, the reigning Mountain West Player of the Year, averaged 20.4 PPG and 6.4 APG last year for the Lobos. His first-step quickness is very good, and Dent’s ability to push the ball in transition should allow for UCLA to get some easy buckets.

At the very least, UCLA now has a player who can create for himself consistently off the dribble. This was simply not present last year at any substantial rate, and even when Mack aimed to take on that role, he was far from efficient in doing so.

With Dent in the fold, the Bruins will now turn toward securing a starter-level wing with athleticism and defensive chops and also a backup center to spell Aday Mara.

When looking at next season, a big chunk of this year’s core will return. Clark, Mara, Freeny, Tyler Bilodeau, Eric Dailey Jr., Trent Perry, and Brandon Williams will all be back. With a couple of fringe additions to make, UCLA has the look of a possible top-five team next year. The Bruins will be a veteran team with some real size and some capable inside-outside play. A further emergence of Mara’s game could propel this team into being a National Title contender.