In the immediate aftermath of Dusty May’s departure for the Dallas Mavericks and Mike Boynton’s subsequent hiring as interim head coach of the Michigan men’s basketball team, questions began to swirl about whether Michigan’s roster would be affected.
As is typical when a new coach is hired, a 15-day transfer portal opens up for players on the roster to potentially find a different place to play. With Boynton named interim head coach of the Wolverines, Michigan players will have to wait at least 31 days after his hire (until July 24) to enter the portal if they’d like.
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Fans of opposing teams quickly identified Elliot Cadeau and Trey McKenney as possible portal entrants in the wake of May’s departure, but both have since reaffirmed their plans to stay at Michigan.
Since then, others like J.P. Estrella and Moustapha Thiam — who were big-name additions through the transfer portal this offseason — as well as Jalen Reed, Brandon McCoy Jr., Lincoln Cosby and Joseph Hartman have reaffirmed they will be in Ann Arbor next season.
Cadeau was playing his best ball by the end of the year and looked poised to enter this upcoming season as the Big Ten’s best point guard. Meanwhile, McKenney was on an upward trajectory and looked capable of turning himself into a lottery pick for the 2027 NBA Draft with a larger role this winter.
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Both players have the chance to impact this year’s team in the box scores, of course, but they also played a big role in retaining the other players on the roster. As the headliners and presumed leaders of the team for next year, it makes it that much easier for guys to stick around as well.
The aforementioned big men, Estrella and Thiam, were perhaps the two biggest priorities to return after Cadeau and McKenney, as both committed to play under May and don’t have any connection to last year’s team that won a national title. But there’s no denying that playing alongside the two guards would help them improve their overall games as well.
Players like Morez Johnson Jr. and Aday Mara were the beneficiaries of Cadeau’s playmaking and lobs, and there’s hope Thiam and Estrella can take their games to the next level as well. Both players will greatly benefit from having an elite point guard playmaking for them. Additionally, Cadeau and McKenney both have the ability to cut and draw defenders away from the big men, theoretically giving them more opportunities at the rim.
As for other players on Michigan’s roster that have not reaffirmed their commitments just yet, like Ricky Liburd and Oscar Goodman, Cadeau and McKenney coming back doesn’t prevent them from getting playing time, but it can at least take some pressure off them as they potentially get their first extended runs of extended playing time. Having experienced players like them to command the floor and draw attention from defenders should only help Liburd and Goodman to grow into their own roles and thrive later in their careers, rather than forcing them to be thrown into the fire right away.
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Of course, it’s far from a guarantee Michigan will be able to keep every player on its roster when its portal opens in late July — the players did commit under vastly different circumstances after all. Fans should still be optimistic about the season ahead, and McKenney and Cadeau should continue encouraging the others to stay at Michigan.
