Big decisions still to be made for Duke basketball roster for 2026-27 season

The wait continues at Duke.

The NCAA transfer portal for men’s basketball opened Tuesday and guard Darren Harris, then forward Nikolas Khamenia entered the portal in the first two days. The Blue Devils’ roster construction for 2026-27 had begun.

But not much followed through the week. Some big decisions still have to be made for such players as Isaiah Evans, Pat Ngongba and Dame Sarr – go pro or stay at Duke? – and about veteran guard Caleb Foster and sophomore Cayden Boozer.

Cameron Boozer would stun everyone if he did not enter the 2026 NBA Draft. Evans, Ngongba and Sarr may all be weighing their NBA chances against the benefit of another year of development in one of college basketball’s most high profile programs.

Blue Devils coach Jon Scheyer and his staff also are believed to be considering portal transfers to supplement and bolster next year’s roster. The Devils have been linked, in terms of interest, with Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell and former Kansas center Flory Bidunga by some recruiting services.

Is John Blackwell a fit?

Blackwell was one of the Big Ten’s most versatile players this past season, averaging 19.1 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists, and was a 39% 3-point shooter. Listed at 6-4 and 200 pounds, he has entered the NBA draft process while also keeping his options open on transferring and staying in college ball.

Others interested in Blackwell, according to 247Sports, include Michigan and Illinois, and behind-the-scenes negotiations and pitches likely are intense in a process, in large part, driven by NIL possibilities.

Bidunga is generally considered the No. 1 available player in the portal, if not Blackwell. At 6-10 and 235 pounds, he gave the Jayhawks 13 points and nine rebounds a game this season. Just as importantly, he led the Big 12 in blocked shots and could be the nation’s best in-the-paint defender.

Bidunga was expected to visit Duke over the weekend, according to The Field of 68, which covers college hoops. According to media reports, he then committed to Louisville.

How will Duke backcourt shake out?

Factoring in the roster decisions will be Duke’s incoming class of freshmen, rated the nation’s best. Point guard Deron Rippey Jr., power forward Cameron Williams and small forward Bryson Howard are 5-star recruits who should get playing time next season, but how much? And at whose expense?

If Rippey comes in and starts, what does that mean for Cayden Boozer? Many will always remember Boozer’s late turnover against Connecticut in the NCAA Tournament, but his solid, effective play with Foster out rehabbing his foot injury in the postseason helped the Blue Devils win the ACC Tournament and reach that Elite Eight game with the Huskies.

One could see Boozer and Rippey sharing the point-guard duties as Rippey adjusts to college basketball and Duke’s system. One could also see Boozer, with his twin brother off to the NBA, looking at a different school and a new start.

Foster’s situation might be more complicated. As a senior next season, he can again bring experience and toughness to the Duke lineup. Or will the Blue Devils decide on a different roster mixture?

When Michigan won the national championship, beating UConn, it was pointed out the Wolverines’ starting lineup was made up of five transfers – a first in the NCAA title game. Leading the way was Yaxel Lindeborg, the Big Ten player of the year who played his way through a leg injury against UConn.

The Blue Devils, in a 35-3 season, went with a mix of freshmen and holdovers such as Maliq Brown, Evans, Foster, Ngognba and Harris.

Duke won the ACC’s regular-season title and the ACC Tournament championship for a second straight season. The Devils went into the NCAA Tournament ranked No. 1 in the AP poll and the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAAs.

Whatever decisions Scheyer and the staff made before last season are hard to second-guess. Had Foster not been injured in the final regular-season game against North Carolina, things could have turned out differently – Duke beat Michigan at a neutral-site game in Washington, D.C., late in the season with Foster and Lindeborg both healthy.

Could portal players have a bigger impact on Duke basketball next season? That’s the big question still to be answered.

But for Duke, the goal remains the same when putting together a roster, Scheyer said.

“I think the biggest job we have with our staff, for our coaches, is how do we continue to bring in these guys that think the game the right way and are about not just themselves?” Scheyer said during the NCAAs.

This story was originally published April 10, 2026 at 12:41 PM.

Chip Alexander

The News & Observer

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In more than 40 years at The N&O, Chip Alexander has covered the N.C. State, UNC, Duke and East Carolina beats, and now is in his 15th season on the Carolina Hurricanes beat. Alexander, who has won numerous writing awards at the state and national level, covered the Hurricanes’ move to North Carolina in 1997 and was a part of The N&O’s coverage of the Canes’ 2006 Stanley Cup run.