Following the 2024-25 season, the Auburn basketball coaching staff has had the challenging task of rebuilding the team's roster from the ground up. There's a possibility that no scholarship players from last year's roster will return to the Plains, and the only one that could return would be Tahaad Pettiford, who has been testing the NBA Draft waters at the NBA Combine.
The Tigers are currently in somewhat of a holding pattern when it comes to finishing the roster rebuild for a couple of reasons.
Pettiford has until May 28 to drop out of the NBA Draft and retain his college eligibility. Head Coach Bruce Pearl has said that if Pettiford does not feel like he is guaranteed a first-round contract, he will return to Auburn basketball and would not enter the transfer portal. Pearl has also said that there are several interested players should Pettiford decide to move forward in the draft process.
While the staff waits to see if adding another guard or wing is necessary, they are also working on adding another big man to complement former Mississippi State transfer KeShawn Murphy.
“As we sit right now, we’re still sort of waiting on a big, and we hope to have something that we can work our way through – an international player that – it just takes time to process,” said Pearl, per Auburn Rivals. “We’re not saying anything right now because we don’t have the t’s crossed and the i’s dotted, so we’re working on that.
Auburn Rivals also reports that a possible name to watch in the Tigers' pursuit of an international big man is Filip Jovic, who plays for KK Mega Bemax in Serbia. This past season, the big man averaged 12.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 0.5 blocks.