PJ Haggerty, the AAC Player of the Year and a consensus second-team All-American, stunned the college basketball world by entering the transfer portal after a dominant season at Memphis. A redshirt junior at just 21 years old, Haggerty previously spent time at TCU and Tulsa before excelling under Penny Hardaway, where he led Memphis in scoring, assists, and steals.
However, his reported $4 million NIL asking price has made securing a new team difficult. Once seen as a top portal prize, Haggerty’s situation highlights the risky economics players now face in college basketball’s evolving NIL landscape.
Insider Details: AAC Player of the Year PJ Haggerty Faces Unexpected Portal Setback
PJ Haggerty entered the transfer portal expecting a massive market for his services. However, as discussed by Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander on the CBS Sports College Basketball YouTube channel, that market has not materialized.
Haggerty, who averaged 21.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 3.7 assists while shooting 36.4% from three and 82% from the foul line last season at Memphis, reportedly sought a $4 million NIL deal and assurances he would play point guard.
According to Norlander, staffs are hesitant to commit such a significant sum, especially to a player asking to switch positions.
“Staffs are hesitant about throwing $4 million at one player and also throwing $4 million at one player who wants to play point guard when that ain’t really what he did to become an All-American at Memphis,” he said.
Parrish added that Haggerty’s team may have been influenced by JT Toppin’s $4 million deal to stay at Texas Tech, but Toppin was a first-team All-American and a projected first-round pick, which Haggerty was not.
The overall financial landscape in college basketball also complicates Haggerty’s situation. Norlander pointed out the exploding economics of the sport, estimating that more than $330 million — possibly up to $450 million — is circulating in Division I programs through NIL. Still, not every school can commit to multimillion-dollar deals, and Memphis is not among the programs capable of reaching that level.
“There’s a whole bunch more schools that are in that $8 million club,” Norlander noted, but even among those, matching Haggerty’s demands has proven difficult.
With around 70% of major portal commitments already made, options are shrinking. As Norlander explained, finding the right fit at this stage is complicated:
“It’s got to be the right number overall, right the right fit overall.”
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Although Haggerty remains a high-value player, his steep price tag and role demands have turned his portal journey into a cautionary tale about the new NIL-driven reality of college basketball.
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