Michigan, like many teams, had a couple of players declare for the NBA Draft, simply to test the waters. The Wolverines only saw one return thought with Elliot Cadeadu choosing to come back to Ann Arbor, but lost center Aday Mara and forward Morez Johnson Jr. Yaxel Lendeborg is also heading to the draft, but doesn't have any eligibility to return to Michigan.
So, head coach Dusty May knew he was likely going to need to rebuild heading into next season and was able to get some great players out of the transfer portal. The biggest win for May was Cadeau returning to Michigan as he mastered running the Wolverines' offense this past season, and can be the general moving forward.
As the NBA Draft deadline has now come and gone, rosters will begin to be set in stone and with that, early rankings for next season will start to come out. FanSided's Busting Brackets writer, Rodney Knuppel, was quick to the keyboard, giving out his early Top 25 after the deadline, and Michigan's ranking seems to forget May's recruiting expertise.
FanSided Busting Bracket ranks Michigan at No. 5 in post-NBA Draft deadline Top 25
The Michigan Wolverines came in at No. 5 in the Busting Brackets post-NBA Draft deadline rankings, which may not seem bad, but the reigning champs definitely could be higher. Here is Knuppel's reasoning for having Michigan at No. 5:
"Michigan losing key pieces hurts, but Dusty May still has the defending national champions looking like one of the most complete teams in the country. The Wolverines still have size, toughness, experience, and the kind of winning confidence that usually carries over after a title run."
Knuppel is right, Michigan lost some key pieces like leading scorer Lendeborg and big man in the middle Mara, but May made sure to find some solid replacements to help the Wolverines get back to the big game next season.
Out of the transfer portal, May brought in Cincinnati center Moustapha Thiam, Tennessee forward J.P. Estrella, and LSU power forward Jalen Reed. Thiam is a great replacement for Mara, coming in at 7-foot-2 and playing in the Big 12 conference throughout his college career.
Thiam is coming off a season averaging 12.8 points per game with the Bearcats, but even more impressive, 7.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks. With the work he can get at Michigan, those numbers feel bound to rise. Estrella broke out at Tennessee this past year with 10.0 points per game and 5.4 rebounds. Being able to be a focal point in Michigan's offense can be big for his game.
Reed is coming off two tough seasons at LSU, playing in just 14 total games, dealing with an Achilles injury in a non-conference game in 2025. Reed can bounce back with Michigan, as before the injury, he was averaging 9.5 points per game and 5.7 rebounds.
With the return of Cadeau and Trey McKeeney, as well as incoming five-star freshman Brandon McCoy, Michigan could have another title-winning team in Ann Arbor, and that ranking from Busting Brackets is only bound to get higher.
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