Derek Dixon was one of the bright spots for the 2025-2026 Tar Heels, as he emerged as a very capable starting point guard.
When Hubert Davis was relieved of his duties as the program's head coach, the world waited to see who would take over. The new regime, which we now know will be led by Michael Malone, will have to convince the current guys with eligibility remaining to stick around Chapel Hill for a bit.
Unfortunately, Dixon made a quick decision, one that Tar Heel fans hoped wouldn't be the case.
Derek Dixon will enter the transfer portal
NEWS: North Carolina's Derek Dixon will enter the transfer portal, CAA Basketball told DraftExpress.
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) April 6, 2026
The 6'5 freshman took over UNC's starting PG spot over the final two months of the season, hitting 41% of his 3s in that span. pic.twitter.com/gzlrFbeji1
Shortly after news of Malone's hiring surfaced, Dixon announced he would enter the transfer portal through his agency. He will have three seasons of college eligibility remaining, and added in his social media post that he is not ruling out a return to North Carolina.
A native of Vienna, Virginia, Dixon appeared in all 33 games during his true freshman season at North Carolina. After serving as a reserve for the first 17 games, Dixon played his way into the starting lineup, a role he wouldn't lose grasp of throughout the remainder of the season.
Overall, Dixon averaged 6.5 points, 2.7 assists and 2.3 rebounds per-game, shooting 39.7% from the floor and 36.5% from three-point range. His 81.8% from the free-throw line was also the best on the team.
As the season went on, Dixon became more of an integral piece to the puzzle, especially in the absence of Caleb Wilson. The hope was that Dixon, who made tremendous strides throughout his freshman season, would be one of the guys who elected to stay this offseason, but it appears that he will be looking for opportunities to continue his college career elsewhere.
Without a doubt, Dixon will have plenty of suitors on the transfer portal market, as teams across the country would love to add a young, experienced guard who has the ability to flat-out shoot the basketball.
We will continue to provide all the latest news and offseason rumors surrounding the UNC basketball program in our transfer portal tracker.