Compared to past offseasons, Duke Basketball has been fairly quiet this past month. Still, that hasn’t stopped them from making many roster transactions. They lost several stars to the NBA Draft, including Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel. And still, a couple of others are in the draft process to wait on.
The roster building has continued, with the Blue Devils landing Rice transfer big man, Ifeanyi Ufochukwu. One position of need remains on the wings, looking for a capable small forward to round out the roster. Reportedly, there are some key options the program is in the mix for. Here’s a power ranking in terms of the most ideal fit.
5. Braydon Hawthorne
The 6’8 small forward prospect originally committed to West Virginia, before a coaching change caused him to be a free agent again. He’s a rising prospect in the 2025 class and a consensus four-star recruit who, at the moment, can only play the three-spot. Based on who else the team has, Hawthorne likely would have to redshirt next year. As talented as he may be, Hawthorne would risk being over-recruited by the next batch of 5-star prospects in the next class.
4. Sebastian Wilkins
Wilkins is a 6’8 combo forward prospect, ranked in the top-30 in the 2026 class. He’s a reclass candidate with the size and body frame to move up a year and not risk a giant transition process. Wilkins is a good individual defender with a growing all-around offensive game, and with Sheldon Henderson leaving for Miami, there’s more room in the frontcourt, especially as a potential backup option to Cameron Boozer at the 4-spot, arguably his best position. Of course, he still may need more development to get into the rotation next season, and there are more ready-made targets in the mix.
3. Desmond Claude
The 6’5 guard averaged 15.8 ppg and 4.2 apg last season at USC and is one of the best players left in the portal. With Sion James gone and assuming that Tyrese Proctor remains in the NBA Draft process, Duke Basketball could use another ball-handler in the lineup. However, Claude has shown to be a clunky fit for the teams he’s been on, needing to be the de facto point guard. Plus, his career 27% 3PT shooting would be an issue for spacing. For a team like Duke who doesn’t need more raw talent but rather good fits, Claude may not be the ideal pickup.
2. Dame Sarr
Sarr is a consensus four-star and top-30 overall prospect from the international ranks. He’s a 6’7 forward who is one of the better overall athletes and should be a quality 3 and D player in college. While he’s not the same kind of scorer that Claude is, Sarr would help replace the massive defensive talent gone from last season’s roster, without also needing to be too much of the gameplan.
1. Cedric Coward
Coward is a 6’7 small forward with 40 starts in three years at EWU and Wazzu. However, he’s made a great impression, shooting a fantastic split of 60-39-83, shooting 72% from inside the arc. He’s already committed to Duke this offseason, but is also in the NBA Draft process and could very well stay. Of everyone Duke would most want to have, the elite shooting wing who also can defend should be the top option.