College sports have been more volatile than usual lately. That is partly because of transfer portals and the NIL (Name, Image, Likeness) game. Schools are stuck in a barrage of change, and new titles are even popping up. Oklahoma basketball, for instance, now has an assistant general manager role.
And that position is held by none other than the Sooner legend and NBA All-Star Trae Young. After OU’s early NCAA Tournament exit, Young didn’t just watch from the sidelines. He decided to reach out to head coach Porter Moser, wanting in. As hullabaloo grows, Young’s got a few things to say about the very culture that’s rewriting college hoops.
Trae Young Gets Real About the Transfer Portal and What Players Are Missing
Young does not hate the portal despite all its cons. In fact, he gets it. Sometimes, players are buried on the bench, itching for more minutes.
“I can see it working both ways,” he said on a recent episode of The Sideline with Andy Katz. “Some guys that are deeper on the bench want to move to another situation and get more minutes and things like that.”
Tune in to The Sideline with Andy Katz to hear more from Trae Young and Coach Moser🤩
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— Andy Katz (@SidelinewithAK) June 10, 2025
However, for others, it could be a dead-end detour. And that’s where things get personal for Young. Not just as a former one-and-done college star, but as a current NBA player who’s seen the path to the league up close. So, what does Young bring to the Sooners?
“I can give these players advice,” Young says. “Understanding what it means if you’re bouncing from here to here to here—what the image looks like when you do that.”
In simpler terms, constantly jumping schools might land the player on court, but not necessarily in the league. And Young knows all too well about that dream.
Young has lived it. In 2017, he came onto the scene at Oklahoma, breaking records, drawing Steph Curry comparisons, and becoming the only player to ever lead the NCAA in both points and assists in a single season. And just a year later, he left. But that year gave him a home and a bond. That’s what he worries today’s players are losing now.
If players are ping-ponging between three or four schools, Young wonders if they’re sacrificing long-term growth.
“I can give these players advice and understanding on what it means if you’re bouncing from here to here to here—what the image looks like when you do that, and things like that,” Young said. “And what the important things really are when it comes to this and what you want to get out of it? There are steps you need to take, and steps you can’t skip.”
The NBA doesn’t just scout stats. They read into stability. That, in a way, makes Young’s return to Norman quite poetic. Young’s own future with Atlanta hangs in the balance with new management, a possible trade, or a contract reset. As the NBA hullabaloo continues, Young is grounding himself in where it all began.
The Hawks once chose Young over Luka Doncic. But in 2025, the new faces in Atlanta’s front office aren’t quite so sold. He averaged a league-best 11.6 assists last season, but he also led in turnovers and still struggles on defense.
With the team stuck around .500, paying him the max seems unlikely. Trading him might also not be an option for the Hawks right now.
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Young is stuck in NBA limbo. He is trying to evolve his game and maybe even reshape his legacy. However, in the meantime, Young is helping upcoming players with wisdom. Wisdom they might need now more than ever.
If Young had played the switch-around game, he might not have been able to return to the Sooners all that easily. And that is the kind of gain that comes with loyalty.
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