Like Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr., Elliot Cadeau opted to declare for the 2026 NBA Draft, while maintaining his eligibility for the 2026-27 college season. Though he was the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player, Cadeau appeared to be an obvious candidate to return to Michigan from the very start of the process.
Well, that perception got cemented on Friday when the NBA announced its list of invitees to the 2026 NBA Draft Combine in Chicago from May 10-17 and didn’t include Cadeau. Mara, Johnson, and Yaxel Lendeborg all earned invites, but Cadeau will have to earn his as one of 44 players to be invited to the G League Combine, which takes place on May 8-10.
The G League Combine presents players with the opportunity to earn a Combine invite, but for Cadeau, it almost ensures he would not be drafted if he keeps his name in the 2026 NBA Draft.
Elliot Cadeau earns G League Combine invite with Johnson, Mara, and Lendeborg headed for NBA Combine
Dusty May’s actions in the Transfer Portal reflect his lack of concern about Cadeau leaving. He has added three frontcourt players, J.P. Estrella, Moustapha Thiam, and Jalen Reed, while not adding any veterans to the backcourt.
Michigan does have Trey McKenney returning, L.J. Cason expected to come back from injury, and five-star guard Brandon McCoy coming to Ann Arbor (though he'll likely start on the wing). Still, if May were concerned about Cadeau departing, he likely would have made a move in the portal, as he did to protect against Mara and Johnson’s potential departures.
Cadeau’s growth into a near 40 percent three-point shooter has not only made him a much more viable floor-spacing point guard at the collegiate level, but it has also given him a chance to carve out an NBA career.
However, as a limited athlete at 6-foot-1 who still has a high turnover rate despite being an excellent and creative passer, Cadeau would need a larger sample size with an even more reliable three-point shot to be worth a second-round pick by an NBA team. He may get there by next season, and another year at Michigan will maximize his earning potential.
Johnson and Mara are legitimate questions in the draft process, the former more so than the latter. But it always made sense for Cadeau to finish out his college career in Ann Arbor next season, and a G League Combine invite proves that the NBA agrees. There’s value to him going through the draft process and getting feedback from scouts, so there’s never a reason to begrudge players for exercising that option, but even before the May 27 deadline, it’s safe to say that Cadeau will be a Wolverine.
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