Dusty May has already secured one piece of the Michigan basketball starting lineup for the 2026-27 season, re-signing point guard Elliot Cadeau, but it might not be long before more pieces start to fall into place.
The Wolverines have already landed former Tennessee big man J.P. Estrella, , who averaged 10 points per game in just 18 minutes. He's not Aday Mara, but Estrella is a 6-foot-11, can play the four or the five, and is elite with his back to the basket. He's also a really good offensive rebounder and a better passer than given credit for.
Estrella is a high four-star commitment via 247 Sports, the Athletic, and ESPN's rankings, which all have him in the top 25 among players in the portal. He's also got a really good feel for the pick-and-roll game, which should pair well with Cadeau.
Some have expressed lukewarm excitement about the move, but based on Dusty May's history with bigs the past two seaons, it feels like this change is exactly what Estrella needs to thrive.
Michigan basketball wasn't going to find another Aday Mara in the portal. That dude should be a lottery pick. The Wolverines can replace some of what he does. Estrella will do that in terms of offensive rebounding, low-post scoring, playmaking, and will at least offer good size for the Big Ten.
There's a strong chance Estrella starts. He started 18 games for Tennessee last season. He could come off the bench, but with Juke Harris also projected to land with the Wolverines, here's a projected starting lineup as we peer into the offseason crystal ball.
PG: Elliot Cadeau
After Cadeau won Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, the only question is whether he will leap to All-American status or not. He's one of the best point guards in college basketball, and getting him back was the best move of the offseason.
Nothing will top it.
SG: Trey McKenney
Retention is more important than addition for Dusty May this spring. Of course, with McKenney, Michigan has to compete with the NBA draft, and other programs.
The five-star guard came off the bench this season, but made 68 3-pointers, shooting 39.1 percent. He buried the clinching shot in the national championship game, and also scored 16 points in the Final Four over Arizona. In the NCAA Tournament, McKenney averaged 12 points per game off the bench, while making 12 of 25 triples (48 percent).
McKenney feels like a future first-round pick, maybe as early as the 2027 NBA draft. He said earlier this offseason he was going to come back, now May needs to lock that in.
SF: Juke Harris
The 6-foot-7 G/F from Wake Forest was Second-Team All-ACC after winning the league's most improved player award. He averaged 21.4 points per game, and shot 33 percent on 7.5 3-point attempts per game, meaning he made 2.5 per game.
Harris averaged 7.1 free-throw attempts per game and would slot nicely into the vacant spot left by Yaxel Lendeborg. He's not Yaxel, especially on defense. But he's an electrifying scorer, one that Michigan basketball knows well after he scored 19 against them early in the 2025-26 season.
Brandon McCoy (recent 5-star commitment) will also be a factor here, but it feels like he's better suited to coming off the bench, which could include a role similar to that of Trey McKenney, playing on and off the ball.
PF: J.P. Estrella
The 4/5 is pretty interchangeable. Estrella will get one of those spots. Michigan would need to land another really good big out of the portal in order to push him out of the starting lineup.
Estrella shot 40 percent on 3-pointers last season (10 attempts). It's something that could be developed. Morez Johnson is working on his 3-point shot, too. He converted 60 percent of his 2-point attempts, though, and grabbed 2.8 offensive rebounds per game in limited minutes.
May has thrived at finding bigger roles for players, or roles that suit them better. He might be able to do with Estrella next season.
C: Morez Johnson
If Michigan wants a chance at another national championship, this is the retention it needs to make. It will be difficult because the NBA draft is the competition.
Johnson is projected to go near the end of the first round. However, if the Wolverines can put together a strong NIL package, as they did for Yaxel, they might be able to sell Johnson on coming back and becoming a lottery pick in the 2027 NBA draft, while chasing a second national championship.
When you add guys like McCoy (No. 14 in 2026), Oscar Goodman (4-star in 2024 class), Lincoln Cosby (No. 46 in 2026), Quinn Costello (No. 44 in 2026), and Joseph Hartman (No. 96 in 2026), that's not a bad starting point for the rotation.
Michigan could use another big man and another guard beyond those projected additions/retentions, but it's not far-fetched at all to see the Wolverines as a highly-ranked team in 2026-27, with all the pieces to cut down the nets once again.