After it appeared that ASU starting center Warren Washington would come back to ASU when his name was not on the NBA Draft early entrant list, he is now reportedly in the transfer portal, per CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Big news, as Washington was not on the early NBA Draft entrant list yesterday, seemingly setting up a return to #ASU and now is in the portal. https://t.co/pdNaIDkEMu
— Burn City Sports (@BurnCitySports) April 26, 2023
Washington played only one season with ASU and will need a waiver to transfer, as it will be his third time doing so. He first played with Oregon State in 2018-19, then had two seasons with Nevada from 2020 to 2022 and most recently played for the Sun Devils last season. He will have one more year of eligibility.
Warren Washington will have to get a waiver from the NCAA in order to transfer a third time. With his name not in the early entrant pool for the NBA Draft, it looks like the big man will spend one more year in college but look to do it elsewhere. @DevilsDigest
— Scott Sandulli (@scott_sandulli) April 26, 2023
Washington would have been a key piece for the Sun Devils, and now Frankie Collins seems to be the only ASU starter that is considering a return. Collins appeared upset with the news.
🥺
— frankie💕 (@Frankiecollins0) April 26, 2023
Washington was the main factor of ASU’s strong interior defense last season, and he averaged 9.2 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per game in 34 starts. He was very close with the Cambridge brothers, who are no longer with ASU.Â
Washington is the third starter to enter the transfer portal with DJ Horne transferring to NC State and Devan Cambridge transferring to Oregon. Both of his backups, Duke Brennan (GCU) and Enoch Boakye (Fresno State) transferred as well.
He is the eighth Sun Devil to enter the portal this offseason, as six ASU players have already committed to different schools and Jamiya Neal decided to withdraw and come back to ASU. This makes Washington the lone uncommitted Sun Devil in the portal.
Washington was hyped about the spring game, attended it. A lot of positive indicators recently. But college basketball is a hellscape right now, particularly if a school doesn’t have a lot of NIL support and everything can change in a hurry.
— Chris Karpman (@ChrisKarpman) April 26, 2023
The Sun Devils picked up a commitment from LSU 7-footer Shawn Phillips yesterday, and now he could have a bigger role without Washington. Assuming Collins and Alonzo Gaffney come back, ASU will have three open roster spots without Washington.
ASU’s Warren Washington not on list for early NBA Draft entrants
ASU Roster Tracker (Main Pieces from End of Last Season)
Players lost to the portal (7): F/C Warren Washington (undecided), G Austin Nunez (Ole Miss), F Devan Cambridge (Oregon), F Duke Brennan (GCU), G Malcolm Flaggs (GCU), G DJ Horne (NC State), F/C Enoch Boakye (Fresno State)
Players gained from the portal (5): F Shawn Phillips (LSU), F Zane Meeks (USF), G Adam Miller (LSU), F Kamari Lands (Louisville), G Malachi Davis (Tallahassee CC)
Players lost to eligibility (2): G Desmond Cambridge Jr., G Luther Muhammad
Players with names in NBA Draft (option to return) (2): G Frankie Collins, F Marcus Bagley
Unannounced players (1): F Alonzo Gaffney
Returning players (1): G/F Jamiya Neal (removed name from portal)
Incoming freshmen (2): Four-star G Braelon Green (CA), four-star PF Akil Watson (NJ)
My Predicted Rotation As of Now
1. Collins (6-1) / Davis (6-4) / Green (6-3) / Neal (6-6) / Miller (6-3)
2. Miller / Davis / Green / Neal
3. Neal / Lands (6-8)
4. Meeks (6-9) / Lands / Watson (6-8) / Gaffney (6-9)
5. Gaffney / Phillips (7-0) / Meeks
The Sun Devils can mix up these positions, as we saw them do several times last season. They will need to look for a starting-caliber center now. They like to play a lot of three-guard lineups, so there is a role for all of the guards on the team right now, but they could use another backup guard (not sure what all of the guards’ roles will be) and small forward. Despite all of the departures, Hurley has done a terrific job of retooling the roster, going out and getting players from the transfer portal that fit ASU perfectly and have either proven themselves with experience or are young but were highly-rated recruits out of high school. Depth was a huge key for ASU’s success last season, and the Sun Devils will have it once again next season. Having what could be 10 quality players that make up the roster as of right now is still a huge achievement that shouldn’t be overlooked, as Hurley said he wanted the roster to be complete by early May. If Washington goes elsewhere, the Sun Devils have three more roster spots they could choose to fill.
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Brendan Mau is a college sports insider and general assignment reporter for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on twitter via @Brendan_Mau
