Isaiah Thompson Enters Transfer Portal

In somewhat of a surprising move, Purdue’s junior guard Isaiah Thompson has entered the transfer portal. Verbal Commits was the first to announce the news and it was confirmed by Mike Carmin of Journal & Courier as well.

This season, Thompson averaged 4.2 points per game and shot 42.9% from three-point range in 37 games, including 20 starts. He had several stellar performances early on in the season but saw his role decrease as Eric Hunter Jr. began to bounce back throughout the Big Ten slate.

The younger brother of current assistant coach PJ Thompson, Isaiah has shown to be a deadly shooter from outside and serviceable in other areas as well. One can only speculate why he decided to make this move now.

Thompson’s decision to at least put his name in the portal comes at an odd time for the program. As Hunter Jr. graduates, Thompson was slated to be the starting point guard next season at this time. This move now leaves Braden Smith as the only traditional point guard on the roster for next year if you see Ethan Morton as a wing player like he was used this year.

Now, there has been a lot of talk amongst fans about Matt Painter reaching into the transfer portal for another guard even with Thompson on the roster. It seems like this is a foregone conclusion now that Purdue will likely bring someone else in, in particular a grad transfer, to start next season.

Assuming Thompson does leave, Purdue now has two open scholarships for next season. There should be some more news regarding Purdue’s involvement in recruiting transfer portal players in the coming days and weeks. Best wishes to Isaiah as he moves on to the next chapter of his life and basketball career.