Arizona State exodus continues as another player enters transfer portal

Bobby Hurley officially needs a new frontcourt .

The Arizona State Sun Devils lost both of their big men to the transfer portal on Wednesday — Jayden Quaintance and Shawn Phillips Jr.

Most insiders believed Quaintance, a 5-star freshman, would stick around for his sophomore season before entering the 2026 NBA Draft. But Arizona State's season went so poorly that Quaintance is moving on. Beyond a 4-16 record in the Big 12, Quaintance tore his ACL against Kansas State on Feb. 23.

Phillips Jr., a 7-foot junior, averaged 5.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 31 games this season. He started 12 games and averaged 17.9 minutes per game. He had some big games late in the season, including an 11 points, 14 rebounds and 3 blocks in ASU's loss to Kansas State in the Big 12 Tournament.

Phillips Jr. played two seasons at Arizona State after transferring from LSU in 2023. He has one year of eligibility remaining.

Arizona State's transfer portal losses

The Sun Devils have lost three rotation players to the transfer portal so far: Quaintance, Phillips Jr. and Joson Sanon.

Sanon, a 6-foot-5 freshman shooting guard, committed to St. John's over the weekend. Hurley called him "the best shooter" he's ever coached earlier this season. Sanon played in 27 of Arizona State's 32 games and averaged 11.9 points and 3.4 rebounds in 28.3 minutes per game. He shot 36.9% from the 3-point line and 42.2% from the field.

Brandon Gardner, a 6-foot-8 redshirt freshman, has also entered the transfer portal. He played his freshman season at USC before transferring to Arizona State last offseason. Gardner did not see the floor this season for the Sun Devils. He was suspended in early January for a violation of team rules and was buried deep on Hurley's thin bench.

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