The Duke Blue Devils men’s basketball team received some good news on Thursday when Cayden Boozer, who just completed his freshman season, announced that he will return to Durham, North Carolina, next year. Both entering the 2026 NBA Draft and joining the college basketball transfer portal were possibilities, but he’ll “run it back” next year, as he stated on social media.
Cayden Boozer is the twin brother of Cameron Boozer, who was the National Player of the Year last season with Duke. Cameron Boozer has not announced his intentions for next season, but as someone who is projected to be a top three pick in the NBA Draft, he is widely expected to go pro. His twin brother isn’t seen as the same pro prospect, but he was still a highly rated recruit who fills a need for Duke next season.
Cayden Boozer played in all 38 games for a Duke team that fell short by one miracle shot from UConn’s Braylon Mullins from advancing to the Final Four just last month. The Boozer twin started the year as a reserve but then was elevated to the starting lineup for the entire three-game run in the ACC Tournament, plus the Blue Devils’ four games in the NCAA Tournament.
During this seven-game stretch, he averaged 13 points, 3.6 assists, and 3.4 rebounds, and hit 50 percent of his shots from the field. For the season, his 3.0 assists average ranked second on the team, trailing only his brother who dished out 4.1 assists per game. Cayden Boozer was named to the All-ACC Tournament Second Team and was also part of the NCAA Tournament’s All-Region Team.
The college basketball transfer portal opened last week and will remain open until April 21, and thousands of players have already joined it and are seeking new destinations. Cayden Boozer was reportedly considering putting his name into the portal with his brother likely off to the NBA and the former Duke assistant coach who recruited the Boozer twins to Duke, Jai Lucas, now coaching at Miami. Add in that the Boozers hail from Miami, and there was wide speculation that Cayden Boozer could depart Durham for South Beach, but that has proved not to be the case.
Perhaps, the Miami Hurricanes landing guard Acaden Lewis, who plays the same position as Cayden Boozer, from Villanova in the portal just on Wednesday played a part in the Boozer twin announcing his return to Duke on Thursday.
The third option in front of him in turning pro seemed the least likely considering his draft projections. While he has the potential to be a top-level college player, he’s only seen as having second-round potential in terms of the NBA Draft. His father, Carlos Boozer, was also a star player at Duke who became a second-round NBA pick, and he far surpassed expectations by having a 13-year career and being a two-time All-Star. But Carlos Boozer is an outlier in that regard as more than half of the second-round picks from 2021 are already out of the NBA.
While Cameron Boozer was a five-star prospect and the No. 3 overall recruit in the Class of 2025, Cayden Boozer was a four-star and ranked No. 23 nationally. He was a McDonald’s All-American, won four high school state championships, and notched a gold medal at the FIBA U17 World Cup in 2024. Thus, he’s a proven winner, and Duke is gladly welcoming him back, especially considering the program’s other departures outside of his twin brother.
Duke had already lost players to the transfer portal in Nikolas Khamenia and Darren Harris. Both had complementary roles with the Blue Devils last year, but Khamenia was a five-star prospect, also in the Class of 2025, and has three years of eligibility remaining. Harris played 57 games for Duke over the last two seasons but sees a path to more playing time elsewhere. To date, Duke has yet to add anyone from the college basketball transfer portal, so retaining Cayden Boozer is much needed.
A program like Duke’s doesn’t necessarily have to rely on the portal to reload, unlike other less prominent programs. That’s because the Blue Devils routinely hit home runs with their recruiting classes, as evidenced by the likes of the Boozers this past season, and Cooper Flagg the prior year.
Duke has the No. 1 recruiting class in 2026, including three top 25 prospects. The class is highlighted by 6-foot-11 forward Cameron Williams, who is the No. 3 overall recruit in the Class of 2026. Thus, the team has a ready-made replacement in the likely event that Cameron Boozer leaves for the draft.
With Cayden Boozer back in the fold and Williams on his way, Duke has a solid foundation to take the next step under Scheyer after taking a step back this past season. The successor to Mike Krzyzewski made it to the second round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, the Elite Eight of the 2024 tourney, and the Final Four in 2025. However, Duke didn’t progress in 2026 as it again failed to even reach the Final Four. By the time next season rolls around, it will have been a dozen years since the Blue Devils were in the National Championship Game, which they won back in 2015.
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