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Wolverine Digest

Potential NBA Pick Has 'No Issue Coming Back to Michigan' for 2026-27 Season

This would be a major return for Dusty May.
Trent Knoop|
Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

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Michigan Wolverines

Since winning the national title, Michigan has lost a pair of players to the transfer portal, but has landed one big-time player — with a chance of landing the No. 1 rated transfer.

The Wolverines have landed a commitment from former Tennessee big man J.P. Estrella, and Michigan is on the verge of landing a commitment from Wake Forest guard Juke Harris. So far, the Wolverines have lost both Winters Grady and Malick Kordel, and the Maize and Blue are waiting on decisions from both Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr.

While nothing is official, the sentiment out there is that Mara will enter the draft, as he is a top-20 projection. But Johnson Jr. has a real shot of returning to Michigan for another season, and he is content to take his time.

In an interview with NBC Chicago, Johnson Jr. said he is in no rush to make a decision, and he would have no issues returning to the Wolverines for another season.

“There’s no rush because if I can’t get a guarantee NBA contract this year, I know I can get it next year. I have no issue with coming back to Michigan and trying to repeat.”

What a Johnson Jr. return would mean for Michigan

Losing the trio of Yaxel Lendeborg, Aday Mara, and Morez Johnson Jr. — plus Will Tschetter's contribution off the bench — would be a hard pill to swallow for the Maize and Blue faithful. But in today's landscape of collegiate athletics, big-time attrition happens.

However, Michigan is making a serious push to retain Johnson Jr. for another season. And Lendeborg has shown the way of capitalizing on one more season. He was a fringe first-round pick last season, and he chose to come back to school for one more season. Now, Lendeborg is on the cusp of being a lottery pick.

Michigan Wolverines forward Morez Johnson Jr. (21) and guard Nimari Burnett (4) celebrate after their win against the UConn H
Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

As for Johnson Jr., he is a projected late first-round pick and if he came back to Michigan for another season, he could develop himself into a potential lottery pick. The Wolverines would certainly feature Johnson Jr. as the main returning big man. Plus, he could showcase the ability to dominate on both ends of the court. At times, it felt like Johnson Jr. would disappear in big moments, and this could be his way of showing he can dominate the competition.

Coach May will leave no stone unturned if Johnson Jr. does leave. Michigan is right in the mix to land a pair of Kansas big men, and if the Wolverines do lose all of their bigs from this past season, expect another splash land for Michigan.

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Trent Knoop
TRENT KNOOP

Trent began writing and covering Michigan athletics back in 2020. He became a credentialed member of the media in 2021. Trent began writing with Sports Illustrated in 2023 and became the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI during the 2025 football season. Trent also serves as the Publisher of Baylor Bears on SI. His other bylines have appeared on Maryland on SI, Wisconsin on SI, and across the USA TODAY Sports network. Trent’s love of sports and being able to tell stories to fans is what made him get into writing.

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