Tahaad Pettiford has many in the state of Alabama worried about his Auburn Tigers future, and whether or not he even has one, now that the 2025-26 season has officially concluded. All year, as Pettiford's production looked underwhelming relative to his role, rumbles of a potential transfer have been rattling the Auburn family's collective psyche.
The first order of business that AL.com's Jerry Humphrey believes Steven Pearl and new GM Brian Kloman have to address after the program's NIT championship win on Sunday is figuring out where/if at all, Pettiford is part of the plan.
"The million-dollar question after Auburn basketball’s NIT championship victory was what point guard Tahaad Pettiford’s future will look like with the Tigers," Humphrey wrote. Despite going through the NBA draft process after his freshman season, Pettiford returned to Auburn seeking to elevate his draft stock and make another run at the Final Four. Instead, Auburn missed the NCAA tournament after losing 16 games and settled for the NIT, defeating Tulsa 92-86 in the championship game.
"The transfer portal window will open from April 7-21. If Pettiford does decide to enter his name in the portal, he will have two years of eligibility remaining."
Auburn basketball should brace for losing Tahaad Pettiford
The team Pettiford signed up for is not the one he ended up playing for in his sophomore season. Every player should have an expectation that something like this is possible when they sign on the dotted line, but the 2024-25 Tigers' transformation into the 2025-26 was as dramatic as they come. Pettiford was the only player to return, and Bruce Pearl, the man who brought him to the Plains, handed the team off to his son to be a political pundit who sometimes talks about basketball.
Pettiford tried to recapture the magic, but the magic was gone. The Neville Arena was nowhere close to what it used to be during the late Bruce years. He helped win an NIT title, but many opposing schools can pay more and offer a product that made the NCAA Tournament.
All in all, don't be shocked if Pettiford finds a new home that's closer to winning it all immediately. Playing for Auburn put him in a spotlight that opportunistic spenders will surely take advantage of.