Inside the stay-or-go transfer decisions for Elliott Cadeau, Michigan’s roster after Dusty May’s exit

Monday was supposed to mark Michigan’s inaugural summer practice as it kicked off its national championship defense, but those plans were canceled when the news broke that Dusty May would leave for the Dallas Mavericks job. The Wolverines’ high-priced roster now faces pivotal stay-or-go decisions in the middle of the summer. Defensive coordinator and top assistant coach Mike Boynton is expected to be elevated to interim head coach, per CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander, and Michigan’s entire roster will have a 15-day window to enter the transfer portal that begins five days after the Boynton news becomes official.

Point guard Elliot Cadeau is the headliner. The 6-foot-1 senior was named Most Outstanding Player in the Final Four after depositing 19 points in the championship win over UConn and dicing up Arizona for 13 points, 10 assists and numerous off-the-backboard lobs (disguised as missed shots) in a semifinal romp over the top-seeded Wildcats. Rising sophomore guard Trey McKenney averaged 9.5 points and shot 38% from 3-point range last year, including one of the biggest triples of the season in the title tilt that proved to be the knockout blow for Danny Hurley’s club. The chiseled, burly guard looks more than due for a Year 2 explosion and possesses All-Big Ten (and All-American) upside.

Michigan also did yeoman’s work in the big man market, reeling in Tennessee’s JP Estrella, Cincinnati’s Moustapha Thiam and LSU’s Jalen Reed to replace three potential lottery picks (Yaxel Lendeborg, Morez Johnson and Aday Mara), while landing a prized freshman class, headlined by five-star wing Brandon McCoy and top-50 stretch big man Quinn Costello.

If you toss in junior guard LJ Cason, who is on the mend after a torn ACL and was expected to redshirt in 2026-27, there’s a real chance that this roster has eight players who range from top-two options to rotation players for nearly all of the 80 high-major clubs.

The internal promotion of Boynton is Michigan’s best way to retain a roster that looks like a Tier 1 National Championship contender in the short term, but the tempting allure of free agency threatens. 

While contenders like Duke, rival Michigan State, Illinois, Florida and UConn have exhausted almost all of their cap space, there are still some hungry programs that could put desirable pitches together.

LSU is still in the market for a point guard, especially since Israeli star Yam Madar — who was slated to sign a reported $5 million deal with Will Wade — is not expected to be cleared by the NCAA. Iowa has money to spend on its backcourt after using the Moneyball approach to replace first-round pick Bennett Stirtz. Prized English 23-year-old point guard Quinn Ellis committed to St. John’s, but there is still some red tape to finagle after the NCAA issued new, stricter regulations for international products. Ellis is primed to be one of the highest-paid point guards in college basketball next season, but if he can’t get the all-clear from the NCAA, St. John’s would be left high, dry and desperate.

The big man market would be robust for players like Thiam, Estrella and Costello. The 7-foot-2 Thiam was one of the top centers in the portal. He can block shots, hit jumpers and be a two-way enforcer. Costello is all of 6-foot-10 with a smooth jumper in his arsenal. Who wouldn’t want to mold that? Estrella was also a top-30 transfer for a reason. The former Tennessee big man has tons of untapped potential offensively. If any of those three options chose to exit stage left, there would be a long line of suitors. 

Texas Tech and BYU are still scouring the international waters for a starting center. Arizona has room at the inn in the frontcourt after losing Koa Peat. North Carolina‘s current front-line quartet of Alex Samodurov, Jarin Stevenson, Sayon Keita and Northwestern redshirt transfer Cade Bennerman does not pass the sniff test for a program that wants to win six consecutive do-or-die games in March.

Programs like UCLA, Kentucky and Louisville can’t be counted out, either. Mick Cronin has been trying to land a big fish on the wing for weeks. If McKenney or McCoy were to reopen their recruitments, UCLA would certainly make the call to buff up a rotation that looks good on paper but needs one more piece. Kentucky and Louisville have been arguably the two biggest spenders in this cycle, but they haven’t built foolproof rosters. Physicality is still a question for Kentucky, and this Louisville roster could use another high-IQ, ball-mover.

Michigan remains confident that it can retain this core with Boynton at the helm, but it sure helps to have money. Michigan was not hurting for buying power in this cycle. This roster was one of the highest-paid outfits in the Big Ten. Since so many teams have used up most of their cap space, there’s a strong chance that numerous Michigan players could be looking at taking a pay cut to hit free agency, especially when you factor in paying the buyout clauses that are attached to these new deals.

Welcome to big-boy basketball, where dollars and cents are at the core of every stay-or-go move.