The Duke men's basketball roster for 2026-27 is taking shape after a wave of decisions settled in the past two weeks, leaving coach Jon Scheyer with a mix of proven returners, two high-profile draft departures, and one transfer addition.
Cameron Boozer declared for the NBA draft Friday, April 25, joining a top freshman class alongside Kansas guard Darryn Peterson and BYU forward AJ Dybantsa. Most mock drafts have Peterson or Dybantsa going first overall, with Boozer in the mix. The 6-foot-9, 250-pound forward averaged 22.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists this season and became only the fifth freshman to win AP national player of the year. Guard Isaiah Evans also declared after two seasons, averaging 15 points per game while shooting 43.3 percent from the field.
Departures, then, are significant. But returners stabilize things. Freshman forward Dame Sarr announced April 24 he will stay in Durham for a second season. Sarr averaged 6.4 points and 3.8 rebounds with 37 steals, finished second in ACC Defensive Player of the Year voting behind Maliq Brown, and held Stanford freshman Ebuka Okorie, a 23-plus point-per-game scorer, to nine points in a January matchup. A late roster addition last fall after Cedric Coward departed for the NBA lottery, Sarr grew into a corner shooting threat and defensive anchor.
Guard Caleb Foster returns for his senior season after averaging a career-best 8.3 points across 33 games. Cayden Boozer is back for his sophomore year, and Patrick Ngongba confirmed a return for his junior campaign. Wisconsin transfer John Blackwell adds depth.
Two departures through the transfer portal complicate things. Sophomore guard Darren Harris entered the portal in early April and committed to Indiana. Freshman Nikolas Khamenia, who averaged 5.7 points and 3.3 rebounds in 19.8 minutes off the bench, followed and later committed to UConn.
Sarr's return gives Scheyer a defensive centerpiece to build around heading into next season.