Depending upon how you look at it, a year is not that long.
Twelve months, 365 days, 4 seasons and 52 weeks that bring both quiet times and wild times, sometimes at the same time.
In the case of Kansas basketball big man Flory Bidunga, a year might as well be no time at all. Because even though Flory is a drastically more accomplished and improved basketball player on April 3, 2026 than he was on April 3, 2025, the KU sophomore finds himself in almost the exact same spot this year as he was last year — in the transfer portal, peeking around at what else is out there and considering leaving Kansas.
Thursday night, ESPN’s Pete Thamel first reported Bidunga’s intention to enter the portal and test his NBA draft stock while keeping open the possibility of returning to college for the 2026-27 season.
Heck, that might even be at Kansas. But if it’s not, I don’t think KU fans are going to be in the same position they were a year ago, when Bidunga nearly left for Auburn before deciding to stay with the Jayhawks.
It seems that another year of seeing how things really do work these days has hardened most KU fans to become the type that say, if what you have with us ain’t good enough for ya, feel free to hit the road.
There’s no denying that the KU roster for the 2026-27 season would be better with Bidunga on it. He’s the reigning Big 12 defensive player of the year, is ridiculously athletic and is still raw and developing in many key areas.
Another year with Hall-of-Fame head coach Bill Self, who we know will be back next season, would only improve Flory’s game and increase his odds of someday becoming a solid player in the NBA.
He’s not there yet. Not all that close, if you ask me. But his upside and potential would likely get him drafted should he decide to turn pro.
All of the moves that Bidunga is making definitely make sense to me.
Doesn’t mean KU fans have to like them. And that’s especially the case if he decides to stay in college but does it somewhere else.
That’s where we’re at these days, and I’m not sure we’re closing in on fixing the transfer outbreak anytime soon. After each season, players at all levels and in all sports enter the portal by the thousands, hoping that there’s a better fit, more money, a clean slate or perhaps all three at somewhere other than the place they currently call home.
Again, you don’t have to like it, but this is a classic example of the phrase “don’t hate the player, hate the game” carrying all kinds of weight.
This isn’t Bidunga’s fault. Not that long ago, he would not have even been able to consider making these moves.
Guys didn’t collect checks in college. And they paid a price for transferring. Even testing the NBA waters carried risk.
These days, just about everyone in his position might as well do this exact same thing because loyalty means increasingly little and if you can find a few more dollars somewhere else or more playing time at a different school, why wouldn’t you take it?
If you aspire to be a pro, you have to test your NBA stock, a move that became much easier a few years back, when they allowed players to do this more than once while retaining their eligibility. Simply put, you gotta do it. At the very least to gain valuable input about where you stand and at most in case you catch some GM's eye. College coaches across the country tell their guys to test whenever they can.
The problem with all of this happening at Kansas — especially in the eyes of diehard KU fans the world over — is that it’s hard to think that guys really need more than what KU can offer them.
KU pays. Handsomely in most cases. And every time a KU player collects a check, he does so in the backdrop of playing home games at Allen Fieldhouse for a Hall-of-Famer like Self and at a program that gets as much exposure year after year as any program in all of college sports.
That’s not good enough?
For some guys, it is. And good for them. Although, we have to wonder if opportunity, or the lack thereof, might be helping them make their decisions.
For other guys, it’s not. So, it’s time to get used to the idea of seeing a guy develop or have a breakout season with the Jayhawks one year and then play for someone else the very next year.
Maybe that’ll be Bidunga. Maybe he’ll be back. Time will tell.
But rest assured that in the case of the players the Jayhawks would like to keep, the KU coaching staff and administration will be competitive with both their financial offers and the visions they sell these guys concerning playing time, impact, opportunity and where that can take them.
For some guys, that’ll be enough and sticking around a place they already know to play for coaches and, in some cases teammates, they’re familiar with will lead to another year in Lawrence.
For those who decide to leave town, their departure will open the door for Self and his staff not only to find someone else to fill the spot but also to use that money — some, most or even all of it — to bring in a more-than-capable replacement.
It’s one-year cycles now, and it’s that way at most schools. So, whether that’s with returning talent or a whole new crew, the goal is to find the pieces that fit together, coach them up and see if you can make a run.
Rinse, repeat, rinse repeat.
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