Duke's Cayden Boozer to Miami? Why returning home makes sense for NBA legacy

After watching the final moments of Duke's Elite Eight loss to UConn, Cayden Boozer's turnover will be etched in the minds of Blue Devils fans for years to come. Braylon Mullins dagger 3-pointer was the ultimate highlight. However, when it plays back on every March Madness reel, the inbound pass to the final shot will be aired in its entirety.

With National Player of the Year Cameron Boozer headed to the NBA soon, where does this leave his twin brother for next year? Staying at Duke is an option but will he be in Durham long-term? A move back to Miami before the 2026-27 season makes logical sense on a few different levels. While Boozer has yet entered the transfer portal, there is still time in the process. 

First, Cayden would be back home. The Miami native went with his brother to Duke as a package deal after Cameron wanted to follow in his father's footsteps. The duo played out the scenario for this past season, and now they're expected to go their separate ways.

Miami head coach Jai Lucas recruited the Boozer twins to Duke when he was an assistant under Jon Scheyer and could be seeking a reunion in South Florida. Miami even tried to swoop in with an 11th-hour pitch last year to keep Cameron and Cayden in their home state.

If there was one place Cayden could jump to at this point, Miami would be the top option.

MORE: Duke Blue Devils Basketball transfer portal tracker live updates

As you can imagine, Duke would fight hard to keep Cayden on the roster and couldn't afford to lose an up-and-coming talent who's tied to a proud alumnus. On the other end, if Miami were to snag Boozer, Lucas would have a significant win over an ACC foe before stepping onto the hardwood later this year.

At this point, it's all speculation. And once again, Boozer isn't in the transfer portal. With the window coming to a close next week, we'll know very soon what happens next.

More Duke basketball news:

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• Duke's Cameron Boozer dealing with unfortunate injury after UConn loss
• Duke's top transfer portal target reportedly commanding $5 million
• Former UNC player admits to punching Duke player: ‘That’s free licks’
• Coach K reveals his true feelings about Duke's March Madness chances