Duke basketball has by far the best transfer class in the ACC

After years of relying almost exclusively on talent from the high school ranks to round out its roster, the Duke Basketball program has leaned into the transfer portal this offseason like never before. In fact, the program's four transfer additions are as many as Duke has welcomed in the past two years combined.

Now, it is clear that Duke's portal haul is the best in the ACC and one of the best in the entire country. In fact, according to 247Sports and CBSSportsCBB on social media, three of Duke's transfers are among the top ten portal additions in the ACC.

Where Duke's transfer additions rank in the ACC

The highest-rated Duke transfer signee is Sion James. The former Tulane standout averaged 14.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per game in 2023-24.

The Georgia native is rated as the No. 4 transfer in the ACC by 247Sports and CBSSportsCBB. What's more, nationally, he is the No. 65 transfer in the country and No. 11 shooting guard according to 247Sports.

The No. 5 transfer in the conference is also a Blue Devil. Maliq Brown, a 6-foot-8 transfer forward from Syracuse averaged 9.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game this past season and he will bring a much-needed veteran presence to the Duke frontcourt.

A native of Virginia, he's rated the No. 70 overall transfer in the portal and the No. 9 power forward transfer in the country. Though he's started 25 games in his career, he'll likely come off the bench for Duke next season, a luxury for head coach John Scheyer.

Finally, Mason Gillis is the No. 10 transfer set to join an ACC program this season. The Purdue transfer is a 6-foot-6 super-senior who has appeared in 132 games. He'll bring some much-needed experience and grit to a team that will be largely built around the nation's top high school recruiting class.

Rated by 247Sports as the No. 95 overall transfer and No. 20 small forward in the portal, he's a sneaky addition that could help Duke by bringing someone in to do the dirty work needed to win games. He averaged just 6.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per game last season and has never put up more than 6.8 points per game in a season but the leadership he could provide might top any statistical impact he might make on the Blue Devils in 2024-25.

On the list of the top 10 ACC transfer additions, Duke is the only program with multiple players coming in. North Carolina's Cade Tyson (a transfer from Belmont) tops the list and programs such as Georgia Tech, NC State, Louisville, Virginia, Miami, and Wake Forest have players in the top ten of ACC transfers.

But with the No. 19 overall transfer class in America, Duke has the best haul in the conference. That's quite a group of players to add to what is a historic high school recruiting class and it's one reason why Duke will be a trendy National Championship pick next season.