In an unprecedented turn of events, rising sophomore Tahaad Pettiford has the opportunity to be the only player that returns to the Auburn basketball program from last year's roster.
The Tigers had a magical 2024-25 season that ended in the Final Four, but the team was made up of so many upperclassmen that most of the players have exhausted their eligibility. Chad Baker-Mazara and Jahki Howard elected to enter the transfer portal, and Pettiford chose to test the NBA waters while still retaining eligibility.
Head Coach Bruce Pearl and his staff have stacked transfers since the end of the season, and the team is attempting to pull off a massive reload of the roster before the 2025-26 season. But will Pettiford return to the Plains?
Pearl has said multiple times that Pettiford will not enter the transfer portal. He will return to Auburn basketball unless he feels that he has a contract in hand as a first-round pick.
"If Tahaad has a first-round contract, I think he's going to go — and he should go," he said at Jimmy Rane's annual charity banquet in Montgomery, per Auburn Undercover. "He won't leave unless he's in a really good spot."
Right now, however, reports indicate that Pettiford is being predicted to go in the second round of the draft. Still, his impressive performances during the NBA Combine could raise his stock and change things before the draft, which is scheduled for Wednesday, June 25. The deadline to drop out of the NBA Draft and still maintain college eligibility is May 28.
While the best case scenario for the Tigers would be Pettiford returning for another year, there are plans in place if their star guard chooses to enter the league.
"We won't find anybody quite as good as Tahaad, but we are absolutely in conversations with some players that know, if Tahaad stays (in the draft), this is an option," Pearl said.