The Duke Blue Devils aren't done with their offseason work quite yet. Head coach Jon Scheyer has already rebuilt his roster, as per usual, after departures to the NBA Draft left him with quite a few holes.
With the No. 1 recruiting class of 2026 and three transfer portal additions, the Blue Devils will be in fine form next season.
However, Scheyer is still going after one player who has yet to make his final decision: former Santa Clara forward Allen Graves.
Graves, who spent just one season with the Broncos, entered the transfer portal after Santa Clara's season came to an end. However, he also declared for the NBA Draft, maintaining his eligibility in case he didn't like where he was projected to go.
According to most reports, Graves would only stay in the Draft class if he's projected as a first-round pick. In Yahoo Sports' latest NBA Mock Draft, he got just that.
The Mock Draft has Graves going 25th overall as a first-round pick for the Los Angeles Lakers, presenting a massive hurdle for Scheyer and the Blue Devils to overcome if they want the forward to pick Duke over the NBA.
Allen Graves projected to go to Lakers in first round
With Graves' hope to go in the first round, the Blue Devils were hoping that most projections would have him as a second-round selection, likely sending him back to college.
However, now Scheyer could possibly have to contend with the perennial NBA powerhouse LA Lakers as he tries to bring Graves to Durham.
While Graves didn't earn a star rating as a high school prospect, he quickly became one of the most highly coveted transfers in the country, earning a five-star rating as the No. 2 power forward in the portal.
Graves averaged 11.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.9 steals, 1.8 assists, and 0.9 blocks per game as he helped lead Santa Clara to an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
The Broncos lost to the Kentucky Wildcats in the first round of the Big Dance, but Graves had made his name known across the country, and clearly caught the attention of Scheyer and the Blue Devils.
Graves has until June 13 to withdraw his name from the pool of NBA Draft prospects, and if he does, Duke could very likely add him to its depth chart. If he doesn't, it is increasingly likely that he will hear his name called during the first night.
Add us as a preferred source on Google