The chaos of the transfer portal cycle is nearly drawing to a close, with only a few major decisions left from players who are currently mulling whether to remain in the 2026 NBA Draft or return to college basketball, either back to their current programs or finding a new home in the transfer portal.
Head coach Jon Scheyer and the rest of the Duke basketball staff have had a vastly successful offseason, priming the Blue Devils to enter the 2026-27 campaign as a top-five team in the sport.
Mar 29, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer looks on from the bench against the UConn Huskies during an Elite Eight 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
Scheyer and Co. made two high-profile additions through the portal this offseason in former Wisconsin guard John Blackwell and former Belmont forward Drew Scharnowski.
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Duke is likely done with its efforts in the portal, but there is one looming prospect who could potentially be on the program’s radar if he elects to return to college next season.
Mar 20, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Santa Clara Broncos forward Allen Graves (22) reacts after making a basket against the Kentucky Wildcats during the second half of a first round game of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-Imagn Images | Jeff Curry-Imagn Images
Could Allen Graves Still Potentially Be on Duke’s Radar?
Allen Graves just wrapped up his redshirt freshman season at Santa Clara and is the No. 4 overall player in the portal, according to 247Sports. The 6’9″, 225-pound forward declared for this summer’s draft while also entering the transfer portal and has been mulling a return to college or remaining in the draft.
Graves averaged 11.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.9 steals a night on 51.2% shooting from the field and 41.3% shooting from three-point range on 2.6 attempts and boasts an NBA-ready skillset right now.
The Louisiana native is already a versatile scorer with the ability to defend multiple positions on the floor. He’s also an elite offensive rebounder, averaging 2.8 per game as a redshirt freshman with the Broncos in 2025-26.
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Graves impacts the game in a ton of different ways on both sides of the ball. He rarely makes mistakes and can pass and score at a high level with an NBA-ready frame.
March 10, 2026; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Santa Clara Broncos forward Allen Graves (22) celebrates against the Gonzaga Bulldogs during the first half at Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
Once Graves entered the portal, it was reported that Duke and LSU were the favorites to land his services if he returned to the college game. It was later reported that the Blue Devils and Tigers were still the main programs in contact with Graves, but he would likely stay in the draft if he were a surefire first-round pick.
According to CBS Sports’ Adam Finkelstein’s latest mock draft, Graves is slotted as the No. 29 overall pick to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Per reports, that would indicate Graves leaving his name in the draft. However, in today’s NIL era of college sports, a return can’t be ruled out for a late-first-round prospect, as Graves’ paycheck would almost certainly be higher than his first-year NBA salary as one of the top players in the portal.
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However, does Duke even have room for another elite talent?
Mar 26, 2026; Washington, DC, USA; Duke Blue Devils center Patrick Ngongba (21) dribbles during a practice session ahead 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
Duke Is Already Crowded Enough
As it currently stands, the Blue Devils might have the deepest rotation in all of college basketball next season. In addition to Blackwell and Scharnowski coming in, Duke is bringing back four of its top six scorers from a season ago in Patrick Ngongba, Dame Sarr, Caleb Foster, and Cayden Boozer. Redshirt freshman Sebastian Wilkins is also back with the program.
On top of all that, Scheyer and Co. are bringing in the nation’s top-ranked high school recruiting class for the third straight year, headlined by three 5-star prospects: Cameron Williams, Deron Rippey Jr., and Bryson Howard.
Mar 31, 2026; Glendale, AZ, USA; Cameron Williams (1) during the McDonalds All American Boys Game at Desert Diamond Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Obviously, it’s tough to make an argument against adding an elite portal talent with such a versatile skill set, but it could become a case of “be careful what you wish for” given how complete this rotation already is.
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Duke has its go-to guy offensively in Blackwell, along with a perfect blend of returning contributors and freshman talent to complement that. The roster molds extremely well together, and although Graves wasn’t much of a volume scorer a season ago, he’d emerge as the No. 2 option for Duke offensively and would probably take some of Blackwell’s volume away.
The former Wisconsin guard is a career 44% shooter from the field and a career 37% shooter from three. He’s in a perfect situation to dominate with the ball in his hands, with complementary pieces around him to both get him the basketball and take some pressure off when needed.
Simply put, Duke doesn’t really need Graves. Granted, there’s been minimal buzz as of late between the top transfer and the blue-blood program. But if he elects to return to college, that could change. Duke is in a good spot, and adding Graves could become too much of a good thing.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/duke as Duke Basketball Wouldn’t Even Have Room for Potential Portal Target.
