Reports: Italian UCLA Wing Abramo Canka Enters Transfer Portal

The Bruins are losing one of their under-the-radar additions from last offseason in the first of many upcoming roster moves.

After just one season with the Bruins, Abramo Canka appears to be leaving Westwood.

The UCLA men's basketball wing has entered the transfer portal, according to multiple reports Wednesday. 247Sports' Bruin Report Online was the first to break the news on the rising sophomore out of Italy, while On3's Jamie Shaw and ESPN's Jeff Borzello followed soon after.

The transfer portal has been open since March 13, and it will remain open until May 11. Canka is the first Bruin to enter the portal this offseason, and he joins Shareef O'Neal and Jake Kyman as only the third to do so during coach Mick Cronin's tenure.

Canka, who came off the bench in 22 games for the Bruins this past year, has three years of eligibility remaining.

UCLA added Canka late last offseason, signing him to his letter of intent and bringing him on campus in August. The swingman came up through amateur club Stella Azzurra Rome before playing professionally in Russian Superleague 1 and averaging 10.9 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.

Canka was a bottom-of-the-rotation player for Cronin as a freshman, averaging just 5.4 minutes per game and not seeing the floor at all in 15 of the team's contests. The 6-foot-6, 200-pound wing averaged 1.5 points, 0.7 rebounds, 0.2 assists and 0.2 steals per game with a 12.9 player efficiency rating and 0.4 win shares.

Sources have told All Bruins that Canka's decision to transfer was partially due to a potential logjam of minutes in the projected rotation at his position, even with Jaime Jaquez Jr., Amari Bailey and Jaylen Clark turning pro.

Point guard Dylan Andrews, guard Will McClendon, forward/center Mac Etienne and forward/center Kenneth Nwuba may be the only scholarship players set to return to UCLA, but guard Sebastian Mack, forward Brandon Williams and forward/center Devin Williams all signed on to join the program's 2023 recruiting class last November. Utah wing Lazar Stefanovic transferred to UCLA in April, right before French shooting guard Ilane Fibleuil verbally committed to the Bruins, while Clark and center Adem Bona could still back out of the NBA Draft pool.

UCLA is reportedly on the verge of bringing in Spanish center Aday Mara, and sources have told All Bruins that the staff is also interested in adding multiple other international prospects.

Canka was assistant coach Ivo Simovic's first major overseas addition after arriving in Westwood, and he wound up leaving nine months later. The Bruins aren't done recruiting internationally, though, and it may be a matter of time before they find a replacement for Canka.

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