Jon Scheyer's annual roster churn is nothing new at Duke, but the scale this spring is considerable. Cameron Boozer (22.4 PPG, 10.2 RPG) is a consensus top-three pick who won't see Cameron Indoor again. Isaiah Evans (15.0 PPG) projects as a late first-rounder, though Duke's $8-12M NIL war chest could lure him back for one more year. Patrick Ngongba (8.5 PPG, 4.9 RPG) has similar draft-or-return calculus. Maliq Brown (4.9 PPG, 5.1 RPG) graduates. Dame Sarr (6.4 PPG, 3.8 RPG) has climbed into lottery mock territory. If everyone leaves, that's 57.2 combined points per game walking out the door.
What returns is younger but not without talent: Cayden Boozer (7.6 PPG, 3.0 APG), Caleb Foster (7.1 PPG, 39.8% from three), Nikolas Khamenia (5.7 PPG), and Darren Harris (3.2 PPG). And the incoming class is, for the third straight year, ranked No. 1 nationally — Cameron Williams (#2 overall, 5-star PF), Deron Rippey (#10 overall, 5-star PG), Bryson Howard (#12 overall, 5-star SG), and Maxime Meyer (#107, 4-star C at 7-1). Duke reloads through recruiting better than any program in America. The portal is supplemental, not foundational.
But supplemental still matters. The center position is a genuine crisis. Brown graduates, Ngongba is likely gone to the NBA, and Meyer is a developmental freshman at 7-1. Scheyer needs a proven big who can anchor the paint from Day One while Meyer grows into the role. A second portal priority — veteran wing depth — becomes urgent only if Evans and Sarr both leave for the draft. Duke's estimated $15-20M all-in basketball budget (NIL + revenue sharing) means they can outbid nearly anyone. The question is which players are worth that kind of money.
Duke needs a center more than anything
Led the SEC in blocks (2.2 per game) and earned All-SEC Defensive Team honors while shooting 75.5% from the field — he simply does not take bad shots. The #1 center in the portal and arguably the single most impactful defensive player available at any position. Every program with a checkbook will call. Duke has the budget to win a bidding war, but so do Kentucky, Houston, and Kansas.
A 6-11 center who shot 41.1% from three on real volume at Boise State. That number isn't a typo. Fielder also shot 52.6% overall and averaged 14.4 points — production that would have made him Duke's third-leading scorer last season. The catch is his rim protection (0.5 BPG) is pedestrian compared to Cyril, which is why Duke might want both. A stretch five next to a shot-blocking four would be ideal.
At 7-2 and 260 pounds, Bonke is the largest player on this board and possibly in the entire portal. Averaged a near double-double (10.4/8.2) at Charlotte while blocking 1.5 shots per game and shooting 57% from the floor. Even hit 34.2% from three, which is unusual for a true seven-footer. The question is whether his AAC production translates to ACC-level competition, but the physical tools are undeniable.
Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year with 1.9 steals and 1.2 blocks per game — rare perimeter numbers for a 6-5 wing. His shooting (31.7% from three, 40.5% overall) is a liability at the ACC level, but Duke doesn't need him to score. They need him to guard the other team's best player for 28 minutes while the five-star freshmen handle the offense. This target only makes sense if Sarr leaves.
If there's one position Scheyer and his staff will need to get active in the portal with, it's center
Where This Goes
Duke's portal strategy depends on two decisions that haven't been made yet: Evans and Sarr. If both return, Scheyer needs exactly one thing — a center — and either Cyril or Fielder fills that gap at the highest level. If both leave for the draft, the calculus shifts toward Byrd or another wing alongside a big. The budget supports any combination. Scheyer has spent three years proving he can assemble a roster in six weeks. The 2026-27 edition might be his most ambitious yet.