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Chad Baker-Mazara is in the portal ahead of his final year of college basketball. The controversial Auburn star is making headlines with that transfer decision.
The forward reportedly signed a seven-figure deal with the Tigers after his junior season. He had a change of heart after seeing a new teammate’s salary.
Baker-Mazara was a key piece of Auburn’s Final Four run this past March. The guard averaged 12.3 points a night while posting career highs in steals and assists. That production was good enough to land third-team All-SEC honors.
The veteran’s path to Auburn has been winding. He’s much older than the majority of his teammates and opponents.
Baker-Mazara got a late start in college after a year of prep school. He’s transferred three different times but has been able to use multiple redshirts due to NCAA rulings. He’s now looking to cash in one last time on the NIL market.
It was originally expected he’d stay put at Auburn for a third and final season. That may not be the case. Chad Baker-Mazara entered the transfer portal this offseason with hopes of finding a better fit (or payout).
First I wanna thank God for blessing me with the opportunity to do what I love but I wanna thank my teammates, coaching staff and the Auburn Family for the incredible support for this past two years! With this been said I would be entering the transfer portal. Gracias Auburn!🔟🫶🏾 pic.twitter.com/EpN3rItTdd
— Chad Baker-Mazara (@ChadBaker2700) April 17, 2025
Chad Baker-Mazara could owe the Tigers for that transfer decision.
According to Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68, the guard was already locked into a 7-figure contract for his final season. He then found out that a new teammate would be paid 2x his salary and demanded renegotiation.
Goodman states that Auburn paid transfer Keyshawn Hall $2.2 million to join the roster. Baker-Mazara caught wind and asked for a raise.
The Tigers upped the offer, but not to a level that satisfied their star guard. So, he bolted.
Goodman insists that there is a buyout clause in that deal that would force Baker-Mazara to pay 60% of the agreed upon salary back to Auburn should he leave. The Tigers wrote that language into the deal after seeing others in college sports get burned.
Baker-Mazara knew of those consequences prior to entering the portal. He believes he can recoup that money with a larger offer as a transfer.
He posted a cryptic message on Instagram this week. The caption to the photo translated roughly to, “He who laughs last, laughs best.”
Chad Baker-Mazara via Instagram
Chad Baker-Mazara is not worried about the debt owed. He believes he’ll get the last laugh and a much larger payday when all is said and done.
The guard has not committed to play for another school at this point. Should he return to Auburn, this could be a non-issue. And as Goodman states, Auburn must be to be willing to sue Baker-Mazara if he does transfer without honoring the buyout clause.
Not enforcing the buyout would set a bad precedent, and the university surely wants to protect itself from similar situations in the future. At this moment, it appears the former Tiger will pay his old school six-figures to play his final season elsewhere.