Kentucky is back in the hunt for Magoon Gwath, and this time the San Diego State center is expected in Lexington later this week. Jacob Polacheck and Matt Jones reported that Gwath is planning a visit, putting the Wildcats in position to make a second straight push for the 7-foot, 210-pound big man after narrowly missing out on him out of the transfer portal a year ago.
Gwath gives Kentucky the kind of frontcourt piece it is suddenly chasing with urgency. The Wildcats are expected to retain Malachi Moreno once he goes through the NBA Draft, but Brandon Garrison and Mo Dioubate are in the transfer portal and Jayden Quaintance is set to leave via the draft, leaving a clear gap inside.
That is why Gwath matters now. He averaged 8.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.5 blocks in 19 minutes per game this season, starting 16 of his 25 games while dealing with hip and knee issues. For Kentucky, the appeal is obvious: rim protection on one end and a workable shot on the other. Gwath has made 37 of 91 career 3-point attempts, good for 40.7 percent, including 20 threes last season after 17 as a redshirt freshman.
The fit is made sharper by the market around him. Because the injury-affected season may have kept his price down, Kentucky has a chance to add a skilled center who matches what it has been trying to build without having to pay full market value. The Wildcats went after Gwath once before and came up short. Now they get another shot, and this one comes at a time when they need a center who can protect the rim, stretch the floor and step into a frontcourt that is being reshaped almost from scratch.
If Gwath follows through on the visit, Kentucky will have a real opportunity to close quickly. The roster need is immediate, the style fit is obvious and the school already knows it can lose a player it wants if it waits too long.
