Two UNC players will enter the transfer portal, which officially opens on April 7, following reports of that the Tar Heels were hiring Michael Malone as head coach. Malone has never been a college basketball head coach but spent 12 of the previous 13 years in the NBA as a head coach. He led the Denver Nuggets to a NBA Championship in 2023.
UNC Loses Two Players To Transfer Portal After Reports Of Michael Malone Hire
According to Joe Tipton of On3, Derek Dixon and Jonathan Powell will leave UNC. Both players spent just one season in Chapel Hill.
Dixon was of the two players to declare his intention. Dixon came to Chapel Hill as highly thought of high school prospect in 2025, earning District of Columbia Gatorade Player of the Year. The 6-5 guard thanked the Tar Heel community and did leave possibly of returning.
“This has been one of the best years of my life and has been a journey that I will always remember,” Dixon said on Instagram. “I want to thank coach [Hubert] Davis for believing in me and all my teammates making it a special season. Chapel Hill is a special place and I’m grateful for the time I spent here. I want to thank everyone who has helped me get here and I am excited what the future holds.”
Dixon projects to draw a lot attention on the “open market.” While Dixon got off to a slow start, he improved as the season progressed and ended up starting the final 16 games of the season. The consensus No. 43 rated recruit finished the season with 6.5 points and 2. 7 assists. He drained 1.5 threes and had seven double-figure games with shooting splits of 36.5/39.7/ 81.6.
Dixon is a high-efficiency shooter off the catch with the ability to create his own shot. Dixon had 12 multiple 3-point games, including eight where he at least three. However, he more of traditional point guard who is comfortable running an offense. He is also sound defensively and does not foul.
Jonathan Powell Also Could Return
Powell is entering the transfer portal for the third straight year though he also said a return to UNC is a possibility. Powell played one season at West Virginia before transferring to Chapel Hill last offseason.
“TARHEEL NATION: I’m grateful that I was able to put on that Carolina blue and represent the University of North Carolina,” Powell posted on X. “I want to thank my teammates, coaches, staff professors, and fans for the nonstop support throughout my time in Chapel Hill. I’m thankful for how the year went but with that being said I will be entering the transfer portal with the option to return.”
Powell came off the bench for the Tar Heels this past season. While the “3-and-D” wing didn’t put up the offensive numbers that he did at WVU, he was serviceable. He finished the season with 4.8 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.2 treys while shooting 38.1% from the field and 36.5% from the three-point line.
Powell is not considered a high-level transfer but should draw some attention from mid-to-high major programs due to his archetype. Powell has demonstrated the ability to shoot the ball the past two seasons and possesses a clean shooting stroke while also showing a knack for shooting off of movement. He also can attack close outs, if defenders are careless.
Defensively, Powell is fairly lengthy and is capable of guarding both the 2 and 3. Overall, he has demonstrated to be an effective defender when locked in.
“I think my aggressiveness leans on my effort on defense, and my defense leads to my offense,” Powell said earlier this season.
What Does It Mean for Tar Heels
With Powell and Dixon decisions to enter the transfer portal, it means UNC has four players thinking about moving on. The duo decided to vacate UNC after Jaydon Young decided to enter the transfer portal earlier in the day.
Young transferred to UNC this following a sophomore campaign at Virginia Tech. But like Powell, Young saw his role significantly reduced with the Tar Heels. The 6-4 junior guard compiled 1.8 points with shooting splits of 30/28.3/75.3 in 7.3 minutes over 31 appearances. He scored in double figure once, tallying 12 points against Wake Forest in January.
Isaiah Denis, the consensus No. 64 recruit in 2025, was the first Tar Heel player to announce that he would enter the transfer portal doing so on Sunday. Dennis saw just 33 minutes in 10 appearances due to a lingering pinky injury that dates back to his senior high school campaign. He did mention that he was open to returning as well.
Expect Malone to try to convince Dixon to return. It would be a surprise if anyone else returns.
What Will Henri Veesaar Do?
UNC already knew that Caleb Wilson was leaving for the NBA and Seth Trimble is out of eligibility. So, the only question is what Henri Veesaar do? Veesaar, who had a career year in his lone season in Chapel Hill, could follow Wilson’s lead to the NBA or enter the transfer portal once again.
If all five of the above-mentioned players do in fact leave, it would leave Malone with nine players with Luka Bogavac and Jair Stevenson potentially being the top returning players. However, Malone could decide to go with a complete rebuild.
North Carolina also has three players from the class of 2026. Consensus five-star point guard Dylan Mingo
(committed) leads the class with four-star Maximo Adams (signed) and Malloy Smith (committed), the son of former NBA player Kenny Smith, being the others.
© Bob Donnan, Imagn Images
