Coming off its second ever Final Four, Auburn men’s basketball was quickly forced to rebuild following the 2024-2025 season.

Eight of the Tigers’ scholarship players ran out of eligibility following the season’s conclusion and three more entered the transfer portal. Tahaad Pettiford is the lone question mark remaining, as he declared for the NBA Draft while maintaining his college eligibility.

With all of the departures, Auburn was forced to be active in the transfer portal. Bruce Pearl and the staff had already added four players through either the high school or JUCO ranks prior to the portal opening, but they’ve signed five more since then.

Four of those came from the portal and one came from JUCO, helping rebuild the roster almost from scratch.

The men’s college basketball transfer portal closed Tuesday night, meaning players can no longer enter the portal, unless there is a head coaching change at their school. Players currently in the portal can still commit and sign with schools, meaning the movement still isn’t quite done yet.

Here’s a look at where Auburn’s roster currently stands and what the team could look like when it returns to the floor in the fall.

Guards

Departures (2)

Denver Jones

JP Pegues

Additions (2)

Kaden Magwood

Simon Walker

Decision to make (1)

Tahaad Pettiford

What to know

The outlook of Auburn’s backcourt is centered around Pettiford’s decision whether or not to remain in the NBA Draft.

He told ESPN that if he does return to college, he’ll return to Auburn, which is backed up by him not entering the portal while it was open.

His return to Auburn seems to be at least somewhat likely. Pearl and the staff haven’t pursued many point guards in the portal, relying on a return from Pettiford and Magwood, a true freshman. Walker is listed here too, but is more of a shooting guard than a point guard.

Pettiford is projected anywhere from a late first round pick to undrafted depending on which website you look at. ESPN has him projected to be selected 39th overall, putting him in the second round.

A second-round grade would likely sway Pettiford to return to school. That seems likely at the moment, but the deadline to withdraw from the draft isn’t until May 28.

Behind him, Magwood is another promising guard prospect who plays a similar style to Pettiford. He’s ranked by the 247Sports composite as the No. 51 overall player in the class of 2025 and the eighth-best combo guard.

At 6-foot-1, 170 pounds, he’s similar to Pettiford in size and is a ball-dominant guard who can score at all three levels. If Pettiford is back, Magwood could play a similar role to what Pettiford played last season and eventually become his successor at point guard.

Wings

Departures (4)

Chris Moore

Miles Kelly

Chad Baker-Mazara

Jahki Howard

Additions (4)

Keyshawn Hall

Kevin Overton

Elyjah Freeman

Abdul Bashir

What to know

No area was attacked more by Auburn in the transfer portal than the wing, where the Tigers completely rebuilt last season’s talented group.

Baker-Mazara — the team’s second-leading scorer last season — surprised many fans when he entered the transfer portal in April, and was the team’s biggest loss to the portal. Howard, a rising sophomore wing, also entered the portal, but he only saw sporadic playing time during the 2024-2025 season.

To replace those two, along with Kelly and Moore, Auburn added transfers from just about every level possible.

Bashir committed to Auburn back in February, transferring to the Plains from Casper College, a junior college in Wyoming. The 6-foot-7 wing put up elite numbers during the 2024-2025 season, averaging 27.2 points, 4.2 assists and 3.8 rebounds per game, doing so while shooting 41.4% from the field 36.8% from 3 and 87.7% from the free throw line.

In a release, Pearl described Bashir as a “special talent,” specifically praising his shooting ability. His presence in the rotation helps replace Kelly’s production, who led the team in 3-pointers made last season and was Auburn’s go-to catch-and-shoot scorer.

Hall was Auburn’s first portal commitment, announcing his pledge to the program while the NCAA tournament was still ongoing. He’s arguably the most proven addition to the team so far, averaging 18.8 points and 7.1 rebounds per game for UCF last season, leading the Big 12 in scoring.

He can play the two, three or four, measuring 6-foot-7 and 235 pounds. That allows him to have similar versatility to what Moore gave Auburn the last few years, but adds a much bigger scoring threat.

“He is a very difficult one-on-one cover and can play multiple positions, both offensively and defensively,” Pearl said of Hall in a release. “He is just a matchup nightmare for the opponent.”

Freeman might be the most intriguing out of the entire transfer class. He comes to Plains from Division II Lincoln Memorial University, where he spent one season.

During the 2024-2025 campaign, Freeman averaged 18.9 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game while shooting 58.7% from the field and 45.6% from 3. At 6-foot-8, he showed enough versatility to play both as a forward and a guard, allowing him to play multiple roles in Auburn’s offense.

Pearl said in the release announcing Freeman’s signing that he’ll play a “big guard” position for Auburn. That draws parallels to how Baker-Mazara might have fit in the offense next season, with Pearl mentioning last season that he could play point guard in 2025-2026.

Overton was the other high-major transfer Auburn added on the wing, coming to Auburn from Texas Tech. He averaged 7.8 points per game with the Red Raiders last season, but averaged 11.3 per game at Drake the year prior.

Pearl highlighted his experience and defensive capabilities, coming from a system at Texas Tech that that prides itself on defense.

“The way he plays, flat out impacts winning. He has always been known as a tough, physical defender and a 3 and D guy,” Pearl said of Overton in a release. “Kevin will have the opportunity to expand his game at Auburn. Graduating Denver Jones, Miles Kelly and Chris Moore, we needed a veteran leader to call our young backcourt.”

Forward/Centers

Departures (5)

Dylan Cardwell

Johni Broome

Chaney Johnson

Ja’Heim Hudson

Addarin Scott

Additions (3)

KeShawn Murphy

Emeka Opurum

Sebastian Williams-Adams

What to know

The frontcourt is the one area Auburn may not be done adding to.

Replacing Broome and Cardwell was always going to be a tall order, both in the literal and figurative sense. So far, Auburn has added just one forward from the portal, but also signed a transfer from the JUCO ranks since the season ended.

Murphy, a Mississippi State transfer, and Opurum, a JUCO transfer, join incoming freshman Sebastian Williams-Adams in an overhauled Auburn frontcourt.

Given Auburn lost five scholarship players from last season’s frontcourt, the Tigers are still in the market one more big man, something Pearl confirmed when speaking to the Auburn baseball radio broadcast Tuesday night.

When looking at who Auburn has added, Murphy sticks out as one of the best pickups of the entire class. He comes to Auburn after spending three seasons at Mississippi State, returning to his home state after spending his prep career at Ramsay High School in Birmingham.

Standing 6-foot-10 and weighing 230 pounds, Murphy averaged 11.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists for the Bulldogs last season, providing a spark down low off the bench. As of now, a starting spot at Auburn seems like a given.

Auburn recruited Murphy out of high school, meaning the relationship and connection with the staff is nothing new. Pearl called him “one of the most efficient players in our league” in a release, crediting his capabilities on both ends of the floor.

Opurum gives Auburn an even more traditional look at center, measuring 7-feet and 210 pounds. He averaged 9.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.6 blocks at Butler Community College last season.

His size combined with his ability as a paint defender naturally draws comparisons to what Cardwell gave Auburn. With three years of eligibility remaining and limited experience, Opurum might not be someone who is rushed into a big role, but his measurables make him a promising piece inside.

Williams-Adams is arguably the least talked about addition to Auburn’s frontcourt, but he’s rated by 247Sports as the top incoming freshman in the Tigers’ signing class. At 6-foot-8, he’s shorter than Murphy and Opurum, but is solid at 230 pounds.

He’s ranked by the 247Sports composite as the No. 44 overall player in the 2025 class and 10th-best power forward. Williams-Adams is known most for his defensive versatility, but is a capable scorer, especially going downhill.

Whether or not Auburn adds another big man, any combination of these three could play together at the same time. The main reason to add one would be to increase the depth, preventing young players like Williams-Adams and Opurum from having to be leaned on heavily early on.

Peter Rauterkus covers Auburn sports for AL.com. You can follow him on X at @peter_rauterkus or email him at [email protected]m