Duke basketball should swipe this guard in the transfer portal from its rival program

Former North Carolina guard Elliot Cadeau has entered the transfer portal after two seasons as a starter. Cadeau averaged 9.4 points and 6.2 assists this past season and entered with a "do not contact" tag.

Although this season for Duke hopefully won't be over for another few weeks, Duke head coach Jon Scheyer should absolutely give Cadeau a call and try to snag him from the Blue Devils' rival program. Here's why.

The Duke basketball program will likely lose most of its guard depth after this season. Tyrese Proctor will likely go to the NBA, there's a good chance Caleb Foster enters the transfer portal after fizzling out of the Blue Devils' rotation towards the end of the regular season, and Sion James is out of eligibility.

Now, Foster has worked himself back into getting playing time through the NCAA Tournament, and has been playing pretty well, but there's still a solid chance he's out the door after this season.

There's even been some talks that Isaiah Evans could leave Durham after the season as well. He's mainly seen as a second round pick in most 2025 NBA mock drafts, but it's been reported that his portal interest will be large if he decides to enter.

However, with the potential of losing a lot of key backcourt guys, Cadeau would be a fantastic replacement as Duke's starting point guard next season.

Cadeau isn't an elite scorer, but he doesn't have to be to be effective on this Duke roster next season. He's an excellent passer and a good defender, which fits the makeup well of a Blue Devil point guard.

The sophomore led the ACC in assists this season with 231 and was second in the conference in assists per game at 6.2. If the Blue Devils can keep Evans around, Cadeau would be a fantastic lead guard to find the sharpshooter at any spot on the floor for an open outside look.

The one knock against potentially bringing Cadeau in is that Cayden Boozer, a four-star point guard who is part of Duke's 2025 recruiting class, is a very similar player to the former Tar Heel. But, the experience Cadeau would bring from a high-level program would likely bring him into a starting role. And with other elite scorers coming in next season like Cameron Boozer, or shooters like Nikolas Khamenia, Cadeau would be a phenomenal replacement for James or Proctor as Duke's lead guard next season.

Now, who knows if Cadeau is willing to move a couple miles down the road to his former program's arch rival, but Scheyer should definitely give him a call once the offseason hits.