Michigan Basketball: Insider says Hunter Dickinson could come back

Nothing is guaranteed but according to a Michigan basketball insider, Hunter Dickinson has been telling people he will return to the Wolverines. 

While a number of other high-profile players in the Big Ten have announced their intentions to at least test the waters of the NBA draft, we haven’t heard anything from Hunter Dickinson.

The Michigan basketball star essentially said before the season that it would be his last in Ann Arbor. He nearly left for the NBA draft a year ago, after testing the waters and returning.

Other Michigan players that tested the waters and returned such as Moritz Wagner, Isaiah Livers, and Franz Wagner, only did it once. So it has felt like Dickinson might leave, especially with a strong showing in the NCAA Tournament.

Yet, Sam Webb of The Michigan Insider reported (subscription required) that sources within the program are saying something different and that Hunter is “acting” like he’s going to return.

Dickinson was at Michigan’s spring game on Saturday, and if he’s intent on leaving for the NBA, as in if he’s already made his up mind, he sure is taking a long time to announce it.

What would a return mean for Michigan basketball?

In short, a return would mean everything.

It’s probably the difference between being a top-10 team (legitimate) and not being ranked at all. Dickinson would be a strong All-American candidate and would be one of the Big Ten’s best players.

Not only that, but Michigan basketball could be really young next year, even younger than the Wolverines were in 2021-22. Michigan won’t have any seniors (unless there is a transfer) and if Hunter is gone, the senior members of the team would be Terrance Williams and Jace Howard.

Obviously, it would be tremendous for Michigan basketball to get its leading scorer and rebounder back. And as long as either Caleb Houstan or Moussa Diabate returned, the Wolverines would be in really good shape heading into next season.

A big caveat in all this is that despite his improved jump shot, Dickinson still isn’t going anywhere in the NBA mock drafts. Neither are Diabate and Houstan.

Diabate needs development but he could get it in the G-League and it wouldn’t surprise me if some team took a shot on him in the second round for that purpose. Once he gets a better understanding of the game and improves his fundamentals, he might have something.

And maybe he wants to get paid to play next season. I’m sure Dickinson does too, which is where NIL comes into all of this. If Dickinson can make more in NIL money next season than the G-League or at least as much, that could help sway him to stick around.

His NBA future probably isn’t going to change much from this year to the next, although if he improved on the defensive side of the ball while getting even more reliable with his jumper, it wouldn’t hurt.

But Dickinson is never going to be a first-round pick and the truth is, he’s probably going to have to earn his way as an undrafted player. Traditional bigs aren’t valued much in the NBA, especially ones that are major liabilities in pick-and-roll defense.

So it’s somewhat reasonable to think Dickinson could play another season at Michigan and then have the same pro trajectory as before, which in a worst-case scenario, probably means a long career playing overseas and making a lot of money.

If he returned, and Michigan made a smart addition or two through the transfer portal, this could be a team with true Final-Four potential.

As Michigan basketball fans have learned, due to so many Wolverines getting drafted, this process takes time. But, we at least know Dickinson to the NBA isn’t a slam dunk.