3 Auburn Basketball Players Who Could Enter Transfer Portal in 2026 Offseason

The Auburn Tigers are currently competing for a postseason championship, as they host Nevada on Wednesday in the quarterfinals of the NIT, but fans are already starting to speculate about next year.

Auburn brought in 10 new additions last offseason, with Tahaad Pettiford being the only returning contributor from its historic 2024-25 Final Four squad, but Steven Pearl hasn’t exactly had the most success with the new roster in his first campaign on the Plains.

The Tigers will lose seniors KeShawn Murphy and Keyshawn Hall due to expired eligibility, but the future of the rest of the team is always uncertain – especially in this day and age with the transfer portal and NIL.

Let’s take a look at three Tigers who could hit the transfer portal at the conclusion of the season.

Tahaad Pettiford

The sophomore point guard has undoubtedly regressed from last year, and many believe he will depart Auburn when the offseason arrives.

Pettiford is averaging 15.2 points per game, a solid increase from 11.6 points per game off the bench as a freshman, but he’s shooting at a much lower clip. Pettiford posted a 42.1 FG% and 36.6 3P% a season ago, but he’s shooting 39.4% from the field and 28.6% from downtown thus far this year.

However, despite the efficiency issues and sophomore slump, it’s likely – and almost guaranteed – that coaches from the nation’s top programs will come calling to draw Pettiford from Auburn. Additionally, Pettiford may want to play somewhere with an improved supporting cast and a proven head coach.

Another thing to keep in mind is that Pettiford hails from New Jersey, so a transfer to a school up north – likely Big East or Big Ten – is certainly in the picture.

Kaden Magwood

One of the most interesting storylines of the season has been the saga surrounding true freshman point guard Kaden Magwood, who has only seen the court in 17 games and is averaging 3.9 points per contest.

Magwood played in a majority of Auburn’s non-conference games, but he was benched after the Tigers’ heartbreaking loss to Texas A&M in early January, in which he committed three turnovers in eight minutes.

The Overtime Elite product took his thoughts to social media after Pearl explained to the media that he had been moved to the scout team, referring to the first-year head coach as an interesting word. There were questions whether he was sidelined due to on-the-court or off-the-court issues, but interestingly enough, he appeared in Auburn’s first two rounds of the NIT.

Magwood played 17 minutes and 12 minutes in the Tigers’ wins over South Alabama and Seattle U, respectively, and he recorded an impressive 14 points and three triples against the Jaguars.

The reason why Magwood’s minutes were limited in the regular season is unknown to the public, but internal conflicts could potentially lead to his departure from the Plains after one season.

Abdul Bashir

Junior shooting guard Abdul Bashir was among the top transfers out of JUCO last offseason, but he saw action in just six games with the Tigers and didn’t exactly find his way into the rotation.

Bashir is averaging 2.0 points per game, with his best performance of the year coming in Auburn’s blowout 95-57 win over Merrimack in November, in which he posted 10 points and went 2-for-5 from downtown.

However, he suffered a back injury in the midst of Auburn’s non-conference slate, which played a role in his lack of playing time. He didn’t dress out for a majority – if not all – of the Tigers’ SEC matchups.

Bashir is certainly someone who could explore opportunities when the portal opens on April 7.