Predicting Duke’s Next Roster Moves After Boozer Return

After a fairly quiet first week of the portal cycle for Duke basketball head coach Jon Scheyer and his staff, the program finally received its first major announcement.

Freshman guard Cayden Boozer announced that he will be returning to Durham for the 2026-27 campaign, which becomes a major development for the rest of Duke’s offseason. Boozer was the first major rotation piece from the 2025-26 squad to announce his return.

Mar 27, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer reacts in the first half during a Sweet Sixteen game of the East Regional of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Thus far, Scheyer and Co. have lost sophomore Darren Harris and freshman Nik Khamenia to the transfer portal. Harris has committed to Indiana while Khamenia remains uncommitted. Still, there are key rotation pieces such as Cameron Boozer, Isaiah Evans, Dame Sarr, Caleb Foster, and Patrick Ngongba who have decisions to make about returning or departing via the NBA Draft or the portal.

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Let’s predict the next major moves coming out of Durham.

Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; UConn Huskies guard Malachi Smith (0) goes to the basket against Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12) in the second half during an Elite Eight game of the East Regional of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Amber Searls-Imagn Images | Amber Searls-Imagn Images

Cameron Boozer Declares for NBA Draft

Despite some cryptic comments from Cameron Boozer on Cayden’s social media post announcing his return, there’s still little hope the AP National Player of the Year will come back to Durham.

Boozer is a consensus top-three 2026 NBA Draft prospect after averaging 22.5 points, 10.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.4 steals a night as a rookie at Duke on 55.6% shooting from the field and 39.1% shooting from three.

Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cameron Boozer (12)…

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Publish date : 2026-04-18 17:21:00

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