Jaylen Petty, who played with Texas Tech this past season, could be making his way back to the Pacific Northwest
The Washington Huskies men's basketball team will be looking to replace roughly eight roster spots this offseason.
The Huskies have seven players currently listed on the 2026-27 roster. UW does not currently have a player committed from the 2026 graduating high school class. As a result, head coach Danny Sprinkle and the rest of the coaching staff will be looking towards the transfer portal to fill out the team.
There are multiple players in the portal who have committed to Sprinkle in the past while he coached at Utah State. There are also several Seattle natives in the portal, and Washington looks to be in play for at least one of them.
Sophomore Texas Tech guard Jaylen Petty, who attended Rainier Beach High School in Seattle, is one of the players in the transfer portal who's called the Pacific Northwest home for most of his life.
According to a report on "X" from Dawgman247 reporter Jack McCauley, Petty has entered the portal with a "do not contact" tag and Washington is "the team to watch."
Petty opted to play for the Red Raiders in Lubbock, Texas, rather than stay home with the Dawgs. He was ranked as the top-ranked player in Washington, the 10th-best point guard and the 128th-player in the country in the Class of 2025 according to 247Sports.
In his lone season with Texas Tech, the 6-foot-1, 168-pound floor general played 33 games and started 22. He averaged 9.9 points per game on 40.6% shooting (including a 37.5% mark from 3-point range). He also pulled in 3.9 rebounds per game and dished 2.2 assists per game.
Two of the players the Huskies lost in the transfer portal, Zoom Diallo and JJ Mandaquit, handled primary point guard duties for the team last season. Diallo said in a statement announcing his intention to enter the transfer portal that he's keeping the option open to return to Washington.
Whether Diallo returns or not, Petty would become an instant candidate to be the primary floor general for the Huskies. It would also allow returning guard, junior Wesley Yates III, to primarily play off-ball, where he thrives.
A commitment from Petty could also help Washington land another former Red Raider. Senior forward LeJuan Watts, who's played with Eastern Washington, Washington State and Texas Tech, respectively, is also in the portal. His brother, defensive lineman DeSean Watts, transferred to play for the Huskies football team this offseason.
Texas Tech forward LeJuan Watts attempts a shot during a game against Cincinnati on Feb. 24 at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. | Nathan Giese/Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.If LeJuan Watts' brother and former teammate are both with UW, it could incentivize him to play for a third Washington-based university.
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