UNC basketball rumors: 3 transfer targets Tar Heels need with Armando Bacot returning

Nick Timberlake, Towson Tigers. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Armando Bacot is returning to UNC basketball for a fifth season but the Tar Heels need help from the transfer portal. Who should join Bacot in Chapel Hill?

On the heels of a disappointing season with the Tar Heels missing out on March Madness and then an exodus of transfers that included Puff Johnson, Dontrez Styles and even much-hyped recruit Tyler Nickel, UNC basketball definitely needed some good news. They got it with Armando Bacot announcing his return to Chapel Hill for a fifth season.

The work is not done for Hubert Davis, though. Signs point to one or both of Caleb Love and R.J. Davis leaving the program this offseason, either for the NBA or transfer portal. Combine that with a recruiting class that is outside of the Top 30 and, if North Carolina is going to return to form in the 2023-24 season, reinforcements are needed. And that means another trip into the transfer portal — something even Bacot is aware of as he sent out this message following news of his return.

It could be a transfer-heavy roster for the Tar Heels in the 2023-24 season because, frankly, it needs to be. With that in mind, let’s take a look at three transfer targets that need to be on the UNC basketball radar in a major way to join the returning Bacot at North Carolina.

UNC basketball rumors: 3 transfer targets for Tar Heels to join returning Armando Bacot

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Nick Timberlake is the offensive threat UNC basketball needs to add

In the early stages of transfer portal warfare, it seems like Nick Timberlake is the first big target for Hubert Davis and the Tar Heels. The Towson wing, who measures in at 6-foot-4, has already had an in-house visit with North Carolina, one that he told InsideCarolina went well as Davis and the UNC coaching staff iterated to him that they need his shooting on the wing.

“They went into more talks about how they need shooting,” Timberlake said, via InsideCarolina. “They just said they really struggled with it this year and want to get better. It was really the same thing they were preaching over the phone. They think I can come in and help the program – which is definitely an exciting thing to hear from a such a high-level program like theirs.”

Timberlake could indeed provide the outside shooting that the Heels severely lacked in the lackluster 2022-23 season with only R.J. Davis shooting at over 33% from 3-point range on the year. For his career at Towson, Timberlake is a 37.9% shooter from deep and converted at a 41.6% clip last season while averaging 17.7 points for the Tigers.

Particularly if Davis returns while Love leaves, allowing Davis to take on a more traditional point guard role with a slight emphasis on scoring, adding a player like Timberlake alongside him in the backcourt could be vital to the success of UNC in the upcoming season. The Tar Heels will have heavy competition, though, as programs like Ohio State, Kansas, Xavier and more are also in on the Towson transfer.