Duke basketball: Return of star guard looking less likely

It is looking less likely that the Duke basketball team will return its star guard. 

The idea of Trevor Keels returning to the Duke basketball program were foggy from the moment he announced his intentions to declare for the NBA Draft.

Keels’ press release sounded like he was not thinking about coming back to Durham while Mike Krzyzewski’s comments about his decision gave the impression that the door was very much open for the Paul VI star to return for his sophomore season.

Brendan Marks of The Athletic also echoed the sentiments that sources have told him that they were expecting Keels to be a Blue Devil for another season.

However, that idea seems to be getting less likely by the day.

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Trevor Keels completed the NBA Combine last week in Chicago and Adam Finkelstein of 247Sports spoke with Keels in the Windy City about his pending decision.

“I don’t want to make a decision until the deadline, when it’s time to make the decision,” Keels told Finkelstein.

“Right now, I’m focused on, 100%, being here, going through the process, and trying to get to my goal, my ultimate goal. Coach Scheyer knows that. Me and him talk every day.”

The deadline for players to remove their name from the NBA Draft and maintain their eligibility is June 1.

Trevor Keels is a fringe first round prospect at the moment but many NBA experts believe that he could be a Top-10 pick with one more collegiate season.

Duke basketball roster still evolving at this stage in offseason

The roster that Jon Scheyer will have in his first season as the head coach of the Blue Devils is still changing.

Joey Baker announced his decision to enter the transfer portal as a graduate transfer last week and Duke is in the final two options for Northern Iowa transfer AJ Green.

Green’s other option is Iowa State, where his father is an assistant coach.

It seems likely the final spot on the roster will come down to either Trevor Keels or AJ Green but the possibility exists that Duke could miss on both.

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Green entered his name to the NBA Draft but after receiving an invite to the G-League Combine he did not get promoted to the NBA Combine. The coveted transfer is still weighing his options and not retuning to college is a distinct possibility as he works out for NBA teams.

Trevor Keels, on the other hand, is still a wild card.

“The intel early was that he was leaning toward staying in the draft. He’s a fringe first round pick right now and didn’t really show his cards as to whether or not that would be the deciding factor,” Finkelstein said in his column.

“It’s too close to call at the moment, but there’s probably a higher likelihood that he stays in the draft,” the expert continued.

Trevor Keels averaged 11.5 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.2 steals per game on 41.9-percent shooting from the floor and 31.2-percent from 3-point range as a freshman.