Whether it was via the NBA Draft or the transfer portal, there was a prominent belief that Oregon Ducks freshman center Kel’el Ware was not going to be with the team for the start of the 2023-24 season. The freshman made it official on Monday with the announcement that he would enter the transfer portal, and not declare for the NBA Draft.
After coming to Eugene as a 5-star prospect, rated No. 7 in the 2022 class, It’s fair to say that Ware’s season with the Ducks was not as prolific as some expected. Ware played just 15.8 minutes a game, averaging 6.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. He was projected to be an NBA Lottery pick early on in the year, but as the season went on, his draft stock fell with the lack of production. Part of that was because of the personnel on the team — N’Faly Dante and Nate Bittle also compete for those minutes on the post, and both had more production than Ware.
So while the move from Ware did not come as a major shock, it still elicited some reactions from Oregon fans online. Here is some of the best social media buzz after the news came out on Monday: