“I love him; I love him,” Houston coach Kelvin Sampson said to ESPN last week. “He’s a Chris Paul, the other coach’s nightmare. He’s got a winning nastiness about him.” Who was he talking about? Of course, it is none other than Purdue guard Braden Smith. The guy with the “Peaky Blinders” beard has been the face of the program since Zach Edey went to the NBA. But will that continue?

You see, this decade has been nothing short of excellent for Purdue. They have a prominent history in the NCAA tournament after earning their appearance for the 10th consecutive year. Consistency at its finest. And at the heart of it all? The big men. Isaac Haas and Matt Haarms dominated the paint. Caleb Swanigan and Trevion Williams brought the muscle. And then came Zach Edey: A 7-foot-4 giant. Two-time National Player of the Year (2023 and ’24). But this year, the story was different!

An undersized iron man led the charge for Purdue. It was none other than Braden Smith. The 21-year-old has often been overlooked for his size, but he’s had a season to remember. He joined Purdue’s 1,000-point club, grabbed his 500th career rebound, and became the program’s all-time assist leader. Is all this about to change? That’s what rumors suggest.

According to Reddit page r/collegeBasketball, Braden Smith is all set to accept a record NIL deal to join the Kentucky Wildcats. It would be a win-win move. Smith would boost his NIL earnings and get the spotlight of a blue blood program and a shot at a championship to cap off his college career.

The Wildcats get a star playmaker. Smith gets a stage. It just fits. But how true is the news?

Tough break, Kentucky fans—it’s not legit. Turns out, r/collegeBasketball and other social media accounts were just having some April Fool’s fun. “When asked for comment, Braden Smith simply said, ‘April Fools’,” reported the page. Classic. It was all just lighthearted humor from the hoops community. Nothing to see here—just a good laugh!

April Fool’s joke or not, the Braden Smith saga might not be over. A trip to the portal can’t be ruled out just yet. Purdue’s got a serious challenge on their hands if they want to keep their star guard.

But that’s not all. If he returns for his senior year, Smith will have a chance to make college basketball history! His 313 assists this season boosted his career total to a solid 758 assists. Even more impressive, he averaged 8.7 assists per game—good enough for second-best in the nation last season. Now, let’s talk history. Duke’s Bobby Hurley set the NCAA Division I all-time assist record with 1,076 back in 1989-93. If Smith comes back for his senior year, he could very well cross that number.

Here’s the thing: If we assume that Purdue were to play 32 games next season (31 regular-season games and one Big Ten Tournament game), Smith would have to average 9.94 assists per game to break Hurley’s record.

Braden Smith: Can he make more records for Purdue?

You see, Smith’s 2024-25 season looked like something big was happening every single game. It was a tremendous season for him as he contributed to 36 games. So if he plays the same number of games the coming season, he would need to average 8.3 assists per game to pass Hurley’s mark. That’s less than what he has done in the previous season!

Well, Smith has been the subject of some NIL rumors lately, and Purdue fans can only hope he stays. After all, many schools offered him scholarships previously, but when he chose Purdue, he didn’t have much idea of what he was getting into. He fell under the radar as not many college coaches could attend his games.

However, Bruce Parkinson, a former Purdue player who was also friends with Smith’s father, told Purdue men’s basketball coach Matt Painter about the player. Smith’s father is enjoying watching his son live his dreams. “Everybody always told us to enjoy this ride – get there, watch it. At some point this is going to end, and what a better time than watching your son live out his dream,” Dustin Smith said in March.

And the rest is history. Do you want Smith to stay at Purdue? Let us know in the comments below.