John Blackwell withdraws from 2026 NBA Draft, will enroll at Duke

John Blackwell is officially a Blue Devil. The Wisconsin transfer guard will withdraw from the NBA Draft and officially play at Duke next season, according to On3’s Joe Tipton.

The pickup of Blackwell comes as a massive boost to Duke’s scoring for the 2026-27 season, as it is losing some major production. The Blue Devils’ two leading scorers — Cameron Boozer and Isaiah Evans — are staying in the NBA Draft and becoming pros. Enter Blackwell.

Blackwell is coming off his best season statistically for the Badgers. He averaged 19.1 points per game on 44.1% shooting, including 37.5% shooting from beyond the arc. Blackwell hit 30+ points five times for Wisconsin this year on the team’s way to a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Blackwell was considered one of the most coveted players in the transfer portal since announcing plans to enter on April 6. He had heavy interest from the likes of UCLA, Illinois and Louisville in the recruiting process, but in the end, it was Duke that won out for his services.

Now, Blackwell joins Jon Scheyer‘s program as the up-and-coming head coach looks to overcome his March woes and get Duke its sixth national championship in program history.

Blackwell becomes part of Duke spending big

It’s no secret that Duke is spending big this year. On3’s Pete Nakos recently reported how multiple teams are spending their NIL budgets for next season. When discussing Duke, Nakos pointed out just how much Blackwell is making.

“Duke, which has traditionally built through the high school ranks and again holds the No. 1 class in the Rivals Industry Team Recruiting Rankings, is also expected to crack $20 million,” Nakos said. “The Blue Devils were active in the portal too, adding Wisconsin guard John Blackwell on a deal sources said is upward of $4 million.”