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The relationship between Auburn basketball and the transfer portal this offseason

By Andrew Hughes

Auburn basketball will have an interesting relationship with the transfer portal in 2022. Mandatory Credit: The Montgomery Advertiser
Auburn basketball will have an interesting relationship with the transfer portal in 2022. Mandatory Credit: The Montgomery Advertiser /
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As it always is for every team in every sport, the transfer portal will giveth, and the transfer portal will taketh all the same for Auburn basketball in 2022.

That said, there could be a very interesting bittersweet dynamic that will wildly differ from most years any program ever goes through.

Despite falling in the Round of 32, the 2021-22 Auburn Tigers will always be remembered for what was accomplished on the court and at the box office in a season that I have referred to as the ‘Magical Mystery Tour’, but that most simply reference with “peacock”.

It truly was a mystery to most that a traditional football school was breaking the box office with wildly exorbitant ticket prices. The Tigers had never won an NCAA title on the hardwood and still haven’t. They ended up no closer to one than they were in 2018, and were certainly far off from their most recent March Madness run to the Final Four back in 2019.

Didn’t matter. A regular-season SEC Championship run and a projected NBA lottery pick were all it took for the Auburn family to embrace a basketball program like it never has before.

The best part? That momentum could be permanent.

Bruce Pearl could be looking to take to the transfer portal to replace the depth being lost by the departures of Jabari Smith and Walker Kessler to the NBA and loss of graduate (and Auburn High School’s own) Preston Cook. According to AL.com’s Tom Green, a trio of 5-stars that abandoned the sinking LSU basketball ship formerly captained by Will Wade are on his radar:

"Auburn is squarely in the mix for Traore, the nation’s No. 15 overall prospect, who will reportedly decide next week between Auburn, Texas Tech, Gonzaga and Michigan. Auburn has also reportedly reached out to Phillips, the nation’s No. 12 recruit and No. 2 power forward, and Allen, the No. 18 recruit in the class, since each decommitted from LSU."

Auburn basketball could also lose players to the portal

There is no concrete evidence that a single Tiger wants to leave this special culture, just so we are clear. Fly War Eagle wants to run it back with every single Auburn basketball player that wore orange and blue.

That said, guys like Devan Cambridge and Allen Flanigan could certainly see more playing time elsewhere not competing against each other. ‘Stretch’ Akingbola mostly contributed to the scout team. Chris Moore is a starter for most programs across the country, but a non-rotation player on the Plains.

The transfer portal could bring joy, but it could also bring sadness. Expect it all in 2022 with the new age of NCAA transfer rules rapidly reshaping the game regularly.

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