The Duke basketball team is now officially set to lose all five starters from last season
The stay-or-go deadline passed without any announcement from Khaman Maluach or Duke’s social media team. But ultimately, the 7-foot-2, 250-pound native of South Sudan made the expected move, declaring for the 2025 NBA Draft just before Saturday’s midnight cutoff.
Maluach joins a growing list of Blue Devils leaving for the pros, becoming the fourth player from the 2024-25 roster — and the third freshman from the Final Four team — to opt out of his remaining college eligibility. He follows fellow one-and-dones Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel, as well as junior guard Tyrese Proctor.
Starting all 39 games last season, Maluach averaged 8.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.3 blocks per game, while shooting an impressive 71.2 percent from the field and 76.6 percent from the free-throw line.
With his departure, head coach Jon Scheyer has now seen every starter from his third-year team move on. The fifth starter, graduate transfer Sion James, finished his college career after one season at Duke.
Still, the Blue Devils will return most of their bench contributors and are bringing in three new five-star recruits to bolster next year’s roster.
Duke makes the startling last-minute choice to drop a five-star recruit.
Late Thursday night, Duke basketball suffered a setback to its future roster plans.
Five-star forward Shelton Henderson has decided to reopen his recruitment, parting ways with the Blue Devils in what 247Sports described as a mutual decision around 11:30 p.m.
Henderson had originally committed to Duke back in early November, but the 6-foot-6, 220-pound standout will now seek a new destination. He’s currently ranked No. 2 in Texas, the No. 4 shooting guard nationally, and No. 21 overall in the 2025 class, according to 247Sports.
While Duke awaits a bigger decision — Cooper Flagg’s potential NBA Draft announcement — Henderson’s departure is still a blow. And if Flagg does leave, losing Henderson only adds to the disappointment.
Return for Next Season Confirmed by Another Duke Basketball Talent
Duke head coach Jon Scheyer and his staff are set to welcome back guard Caleb Foster for another season.
Just days after freshman Darren Harris confirmed he’ll return to Durham, Foster has now followed suit, announcing his plans to stay with the Blue Devils following their Final Four loss to Houston.
Foster, a North Carolina native and lifelong Duke fan, shared on Thursday that his commitment to helping the program chase its sixth national championship remains as strong as ever, saying, “nothing has changed at all.”
Duke’s official social media celebrated his return by posting a childhood photo of Foster in a Duke hoodie, applauding his loyalty and perseverance through two challenging seasons.
After a solid freshman campaign where he averaged 7.7 points per game, Foster’s sophomore year saw reduced playing time, with his averages dropping to 4.9 points in 14 minutes per game. Still, he was part of a Duke team that tallied 35 wins and ended the season ranked No. 1 in the AP Top 25.
A Duke basketball veteran believes that a 5-star is attempting to “leverage” UNC through the Ball Durham transfer portal.
The former Duke star was left shocked by a major transfer portal move on Monday afternoon.
In today’s era of frequent college basketball transfers, surprises are rare—but a former Duke basketball icon was caught off guard by the unexpected decision of North Carolina’s 5-star guard, Ian Jackson.
Jackson officially entered the transfer portal, ending his tenure with the Tar Heels after just one season. He posted averages of 11.9 points, 2.7 rebounds, 0.9 assists, and 0.6 steals per game, shooting 45.6% from the field and 39.5% from beyond the arc.
Initially projected as a one-and-done talent and a McDonald’s All-American, Jackson’s path to the NBA hasn’t materialized as expected, and now he’s seeking a fresh start for his sophomore year. Schools like St. John’s, Arkansas, Ole Miss, and Georgia have already expressed interest.
Jay Williams, a Duke legend and current ESPN analyst, was baffled by the move. He suggested on X (formerly Twitter) that the transfer might be a strategy to increase his NIL value:
“This could just be a play to negotiate a higher salary & leverage the marketplace… it has to be. UNC can’t let him get away.”
But UNC has, in fact, let him walk. Head coach Hubert Davis is now under pressure to revamp the program following a disappointing NCAA Tournament exit in the Round of 64, despite winning their First Four matchup.
Had North Carolina not squeaked into March Madness this season—against many predictions—it would have marked their second absence in four years under Davis. Critics have suggested Jackson was underutilized, largely relegated to playing off the ball while RJ Davis finished his final season. Now, with both Jackson and fellow standout Elliot Cadeau entering the portal, UNC is left reeling and in search of a reset.
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