Kansas forward Samis Calderon (6) throws a pass up the court to Kansas guard Jayden Dawson (1) during the second half on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025 at Allen Fieldhouse. Photo by Nick Krug

Former Kansas forward Samis Calderon is transferring to Butler, Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress reported on Monday afternoon.

Calderon departs KU after one season in which he played in 16 games for an average of 4.1 minutes with 0.4 points and 0.8 rebounds.

The native of Espirito Santo, Brazil, displayed flashes of the athleticism, length and defensive upside that made him an intriguing prospect out of Overtime Elite, but never came close to a consistent spot in the Jayhawks’ rotation, in part because of the emergence of Bryson Tiller (who is also now transferring) at the power-forward spot.

Calderon will now give the Big East Conference a try. Butler is coming off a season in which it went 16-16 overall and 7-13 and league play, one after which veteran head coach Thad Matta retired. His replacement is Ronald Nored, a former point guard for the Bulldogs who most recently served as an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks.

Along with Calderon, Nored has added other transfers in guards Jordan Ellerbee (Florida Gulf Coast) and Eduardo Klafke (Ole Miss) and forward Treyson Anderson (North Dakota State). Klafke is also from Brazil.

Calderon is the second former Jayhawk whose transfer decision has become public, after Flory Bidunga, who is headed to Louisville. KU has yet to earn a transfer commitment of its own.