At his weekly radio show at The Pit in downtown Raleigh, Will Wade didn’t shy away from the tough questions-especially when it came to next year’s roster. A fan named Phillip asked a pointed one: how much of the current team will be back, and how is Wade planning to navigate the ever-chaotic transfer portal this offseason?
Wade’s response was candid and insightful-exactly the kind of transparency fans crave in today’s college basketball landscape.
“You wanna keep as many as you can that are good players that fit what you do,” Wade said. “You don’t want to let the good ones run out.”
That’s the balancing act every coach faces in the portal era: retain your core, but don’t overextend your resources. Wade made it clear he’s not in the business of overpaying for players, even if they’ve already worn his jersey. That’s a tough line to walk, especially when NIL money and roster fluidity are changing the game at warp speed.
“I suspect we’ll keep a couple off this team,” he added. “It won’t be a third of the roster, I wouldn’t think.”
That tells us two things. First, Wade’s not looking to run it back with the same group-at least not in large numbers.
And second, he’s already got a clear vision for what’s next. This isn’t a coach guessing his way through the offseason.
It’s someone who’s studied the blueprint and is ready to build.
“We have a very clear vision of what we need to do moving forward,” Wade said. “We know what fits and what we need to do.”
That vision includes more than just fit and talent. Timing, Wade emphasized, is everything. Between the NBA Draft process, player decisions, and portal movement, the offseason is a puzzle-and one that has to be solved in real time.
Looking back on last year, Wade acknowledged things were a bit more reactive than he would’ve liked. “We did a solid job this year, but we were scrambling a little bit,” he admitted. “We had a good plan, but we have much more time this time around, and our hit rate will go way up.”
That’s a telling statement. Coaches don’t usually admit to scrambling, even when it’s obvious.
But Wade’s honesty is a window into how much more prepared he feels heading into this offseason. With more time, a clearer plan, and a better understanding of what works in his system, he’s confident the next wave of roster building will be more precise-and more successful.
Bottom line: Wade isn’t just hoping for a better offseason. He’s expecting one. And with a coach this locked in on fit, timing, and execution, fans have every reason to believe he’ll get it right.