According to a report from ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, Arizona State freshman Jayden Quaintance has undergone surgery to repair a torn ACL in his right knee and will enter the transfer portal ahead of the 2025-26 season.
Quaintance is a projected top-five pick in the 2026 NBA Draft and is fresh off a season in which he was named to the All-Big 12 Freshman Team and All-Defensive Team—only the fifth player in conference history to do so.
Quaintance was the youngest player in college basketball this past season, but it didn’t keep him from having a significant impact on the court. He averaged 9.3 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game and averaged 29 minutes per contest for the Sun Devils.
Because of his youth, Quaintance is not eligible for the 2025 NBA Draft, so he will play one more year of college basketball before he’s able to take the next step. Unfortunately, it doesn’t sound like he’ll be with ASU, as his father told ESPN that they’re “looking to put the right people around him.”
Listed at 6-foot-10, and boasting a wingspan of 7-foot-5, Quaintance will immediately become the most coveted player in the transfer portal, and will undoubtedly demand a bidding war for a year’s worth of his services.
