Duke Basketball: Another Veteran Transfer No Longer in Play

The Duke basketball coaches' search for a seasoned guard or two now seems to be narrowing down.

Former Duke basketball transfer prospect Tyrin Lawrence / Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports

In his breakdown of Tyrin Lawrence's options on Thursday, On3's Joe Tipton noted that the Duke basketball recruiters, on the lookout for perimeter talent in the portal, were "in the mix here [for Lawrence] and would be one to watch if they make a strong push." On Friday, though, the 6-foot-4 graduate transfer guard out of Vanderbilt announced his commitment to Georgia for his extra year of eligibility.

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Outside of Tipton's report, it's unclear how deeply the Blue Devils were interested in Lawrence, a former three-star prep from Georgia who averaged 13.8 points and 1.4 steals per game as a full-time starter for the Commodores this past season.

BREAKING: Vanderbilt transfer guard Tyrin Lawrence is returning to his home state and has committed to Georgia, he tells @On3sports.

The 6-4 senior averaged 13.8 points and 5.1 rebounds per game this season. https://t.co/n72HbyhfCm pic.twitter.com/821Owon5Nb

— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) May 3, 2024

Nevertheless, the 23-year-old becomes another of the several perimeter weapons in this year's transfer portal who have reportedly heard from the staff in Durham but wound up committing elsewhere.

Duke has had initial contact/calls with:
— Kadary Richmond
— Wooga Poplar
— Jordan Ivy-Curry
— Sion James
— Chaz Lanier
— Tyrin Lawrence

Players to set up known visits thus far:
— Sion James

— Rick Heidrick (@rheidrick24) May 3, 2024

Duke basketball hopes to add backcourt depth. There's no doubt about that. For now, there are only two full-fledged guards on Jon Scheyer's currently 10-deep 2024-25 roster in rising junior Tyrese Proctor and sophomore Caleb Foster.

RELATED: Duke's Jon Scheyer Adds His Second Mr. Basketball USA

Meanwhile, there has been no official word on a pledge from former four-year Tulane guard Sion James, a 6-foot-5 explosive bucket-finder who was the Green Wave's second-leading scorer as a senior at 14.0 points per game. That said, the growing chatter among fans and insiders on social media suggests good news could be just around the corner for the Blue Devils in that race.

Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country on SI for more Duke basketball news.