Auburn Basketball Set to Lose Former No. 1 Ranked JUCO Prospect to Transfer Portal

The Transfer Portal hits just seem to keep on coming for the Auburn Tigers, as Abdul Bashir has now also announced his intent to enter the Transfer Portal. Bashir, who signed with the Tigers back in April of 2025, played in just six games in his lone season with the Tigers.

NEW: Auburn guard Abdul Bashir has entered the NCAA transfer portal, @PeteNakos reports.https://t.co/Im777miSMM pic.twitter.com/SY0x4EsqMH
— Transfer Portal (@TransferPortal) April 10, 2026

Bashir was the No. 1 JUCO transfer in last year’s portal, and he was rated as a four-star transfer prospect by 247 Sports. Despite high expectations for the Wyoming native, Bashir never seemed to find his footing in a Tiger uniform.

“Abdul is a special talent,” said Bruce Pearl, who was coaching the Tigers at the time of Bashir’s signing. “If he can see it, he can make it. Falling in line with some of the great shooters we’ve had here at Auburn. He has great length, feel, and instinct for the game. With three years of eligibility, I am excited about Abdul working on his body, improving his skills and becoming a dominant player.”

Pearl’s prophecy never came to pass with Bashir in an Auburn uniform, as the junior averaged just two points on an average of 8.8 minutes played over six games. The young guard sat in favor of Tahaad Pettiford, Elyjah Freeman, Kevin Overton and even Blake Muschalek at times.

Auburn is now set to see four players test the Portal: Filip Jović, who signed with UCLA less than 48 hours after announcing his intent to enter the portal, Freeman, who stated that he was "locked in" to Auburn just over a week before entering the Portal, Kaden Magwood and now Bashir.

As it stands, Auburn’s 2026-27 lineup may look something like this, pending any major changes: Tahaad Pettiford at the point guard position, NIT MOP Kevin Overton as the shooting guard, Sebastian Williams-Adams and a potential transfer as forwards and new Auburn commit Narcisse Ngoy at center.

Though Auburn fans may be disappointed to lose a player with as high potential as Bashir, the Tigers have guard play in spades for their upcoming season, with or without Bashir. Currently, Pettiford and Overton have both announced that they will be staying on the Plains, while Caleb Williams, a class of 2026 prospect, will wait in the wings for his opportunity.

There is always a chance that the Tigers retain Bashir after he tests the portal, but since Bashir is such a highly-rated transfer prospect with a lot of potential, Auburn fans likely should not hold their breath.

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