It's been quiet in the Transfer Portal for Duke so far. Jon Scheyer hasn't landed a commitment yet, but has seen both Darren Harris and Nikolas Khamenia enter.
Things won't remain quiet, and Scheyer is working to try to land an impressive haul in the portal. His biggest priority, however, is the same as it's always been: roster retention.
And Duke scored a big roster retention win on Thursday.
Talented freshman point guard Cayden Boozer, who was outstanding down the stretch in replacing an injured Caleb Foster in the starting lineup, announced he would be returning for his sophomore season with the Blue Devils.
That's a huge chess piece for Scheyer for next season. If he can build on his finish to the season, he's got a chance to be one of the better lead guards in the country.
So what's next for Duke? Likely more roster retention, and likely another departure or two. Perhaps a surprise is on the horizon, too?
Let's take a shot at a prediction.
Predicting what's next for Duke after Cayden Boozer's decision to return
1. Cameron Boozer, Isaiah Evans declare for the NBA Draft
Cameron Boozer caused a bit of a stir on social media on Thursday with his reaction to his brother's announcement about returning to Duke. While it's fun to dream about a potential sophomore return for the National Player of the Year, it still seems incredibly unlikely. He's a projected Top 3 pick in the NBA Draft - he most likely will, and most definitely should, enter the draft.
He's probably not going to be alone.
Duke guard/wing Isaiah Evans had a strong sophomore season, upping his point per game average to 15, more than doubling his freshman output. He's a projected late first-round pick, but could raise his stock in the pre-draft process.
All signs continue to point to both Boozer and Evans declaring for the draft, and that's our current projection. But it's not all bad news on the NBA Draft front.
2. Patrick Ngongba, Dame Sarr return to Duke
There continues to be optimism around Patrick Ngongba returning to Duke for his junior year. He seemed as good as gone as the season ended, but there's been a lot of smoke about his potential return. Jeff Goodman alluded to it this week, and bringing Ngongba back would be bigger than any Transfer Portal addition in the frontcourt for the Blue Devils.
Dame Sarr is also weighing his own NBA Draft decision, but as a projected second-round pick, it has always seemed likely that Sarr would come back to school. Sarr flashed his three-and-D potential, but he needs to find a more consistent offensive game in his sophomore season. If he does, he's a guy with his size and athleticism who could send his stock soaring into the lottery range.
3. Duke lands a surprise Transfer Portal commitment from someone not named John Blackwell
Other teams are putting on a full-court press to try to land Wisconsin guard John Blackwell, and his 19 points per game on 39% three-point shooting. He's one of the most coveted players available in the portal.
If I had to make a prediction right now, I still think Blackwell finds his way to Durham. But I don't think he's in any rush to make a decision. He knows teams will wait for him, and he seems comfortable making everyone wait. He's not expected to decide until early May.
So get comfortable Duke fans.
But that doesn't mean Scheyer doesn't have another surprise or two up his sleeve. In between now and Blackwell's decision, I think Duke is going to land a commitment from someone. If I had to guess who, I'd say either Santa Clara's Allen Graves or Iowa State's Milan Momcilovic. Either would be a massive coup for Scheyer.
Both, along with adding Blackwell, and Duke will be the no-doubt National Championship favorite heading into the 2026-27 season.
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