The commitment by five-star combo guard Brayden Burries to Arizona on Wednesday gave head coach Tommy Lloyd and his staff some clarity for the 2025-26 roster. Lloyd and his staff can now recruit into the transfer portal with their 2025 incoming freshman class complete.
Arizona returns Jaden Bradley at point guard, Anthony Dell'Orso on the wing and Tobe Awaka in the post as starters in 2025-26. Center Motiejus Krivas is also returning for Arizona after an ankle injury ended his season after eight games. Krivas projects as a starter for Arizona entering the 2025-26 season.
Arizona signed four-star forward Dwayne Aristode in November in the 2025 class. Three-star guard Bryce James committed to Arizona in January and five-star forward Koa Peat pledged in March. Burries and Peat should compete to be starters and Aristode is expected to be a contributor during the 2025-26 season.
James is expected to be more of a developmental player. Expect Arizona to seek to add at least two transfers to add depth with the potential of competing for a starting position entering the 2025-26 season. Arizona has a solid projected rotation based on the current players on the roster but adding depth is critical for next season.
Arizona’s 2025 Recruiting Class:
— Sam Kayser (@247HSHoops) April 9, 2025
-Koa Peat (#9 in the ESPN100)
-Brayden Burries (#11 in the ESPN100)
-Dwayne Aristode (#38 in the ESPN100)
-Bryce James (ESPN Four-Star)
High-level recruiting class for Tommy Lloyd and Arizona. https://t.co/xwDqJwpsj0 pic.twitter.com/T6q1jmqSXY
Another wildcard for Arizona will be whether rising sophomore forward Carter Bryant chooses to enter the NBA Draft or return next season. The Bleacher Report/NBA.Com Mock Draft projects Bryant to be the 16th pick in the first round by the Orlando Magic. The decision by Bryant will also impact what Arizona does in the transfer portal.
Many, if not most, of the top transfers have already committed to their next program. Bryant has until April 26 at 11:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time (8:59 Mountain Daylight Time) to enter his name into the NBA Draft. June 15 is the NBA Early Entry Withdrawal Deadline at 5 p.m. ET.
Playing time for any potential incoming transfers will be significantly impacted by the decision Bryant makes, particularly in the frontcourt. Bradley, Burries and Dell'Orso currently make up the projected Arizona backcourt. Without Bryant, Aristode, Awaka, Krivas and Peat would make up the Arizona frontcourt if Bryant does not return.
The projected starting lineup based on who Arizona is currently projected to have on its 2025-26 roster is likely to be Awaka, Bradley, Dell'Orso, Krivas and either Burries or Peat, depending on if Lloyd wants to play three guards. That would bring Aristode off the bench.
The expectation should be that Burries and Peat would play more minutes than Dell'Orso. Bryant, K.J. Lewis and Henri Veesaar were third and fourth on Arizona in minutes behind Bradley and Love, primarily coming off the bench in 2024-25. Bryant also averaged more minutes than starter Trey Townsend.
The projected Arizona 2025-26 lineup and rotation will evolve throughout the spring. The decision by Bryant and who Arizona and Lloyd target in the transfer portal will dictate what the 2025-26 Arizona roster will look like heading into the remainder of the offseason.