After losing in the first round of the Big 12 Tournament, things weren’t exactly going well for the Kansas State men’s basketball program. After the Wildcats signed two of the biggest stars in this season’s transfer portal, things are starting to change.
With standout guard P.J. Haggerty leaving at the end of the 2026 season, things were dire. Although Haggerty ended among the best scorers in the country, the Wildcats suffered other losses as well.
Opposing defenses were terrified by Haggerty’s presence. He was, in a sense, the epitome of talent that no starting lineup wanted to face. He chose Texas A&M, which makes sense, and he will play in the SEC for the fifth time.
Taj Manning, David Castillo, Abdi Bashir Jr., Stephen Osei, and Exavier Wilson were among the few players who left. Dorin Buca has also joined the portal as of this writing. The Wildcats are already attempting to fill the hole that results from that.
Kansas State welcomes former Colorado State guard Brandon Rechsteiner
At the power conference level, Brandon Rechsteiner has had some experience. After two seasons at Virginia Tech, he spent the entire previous season at Colorado State.
Last season, Rechsteiner led the Rams, a team with four players scoring in double figures, with an average of 12 points and 2.2 rebounds per game. In the Rams’ 76-60 victory over Wichita State, he scored a season-high 21 points.
He scored more than 20 points twice in the regular season—once against the Shockers and once against San Jose State in conference play. He scored 16 points on 5-8 shooting in the Mountain West Championship quarterfinal, which was another significant contribution.
He was one of seven Rams players who had a distance average of 40% or higher. Rechsteiner joins the Wildcats exhausting his final season of eligibility.
Oregon transfer Dezdrick Lindsay could fill vacuum created by other exits
Dezdrick Lindsay, a senior forward from Oregon, also committed to Kansas State. Last season, Lindsay shot 40.3% from the field while averaging 5.3 points and 2.8 rebounds.
Last season, Lindsay played in 32 games, averaging more than 20 minutes. Double figures were scored in five games, including a season-high 16 points versus Penn State.
Although he didn’t lead the club in any statistic the previous season, he did help the Ducks increase their blocking and steals totals. He enters his final season of eligibility at Kansas State, just like Rechsteiner.
Where Lindsay and Rechsteiner could fit in 2026-27
Lindsay, the only Wildcats returner at forward, and Andrej Kostic will engage in an intriguing positional fight. Both had comparable roles on their respective rosters the previous season and are currently labeled as forwards.
Khamari McGriff was the main starting forward in 2025–2026, but he ran out of eligibility. It won’t be revealed until closer to the upcoming season who will take McGriff’s spot.
But conversations at the guard position are a bit different. There are several guys on the floor at any given time, and someone with experience is probably the first to succeed in that role. That’s Rechsteiner for Kansas State. But once more, it’s difficult to forecast, particularly at this point.
