Three landing spots for former Wisconsin Badgers guard John Blackwell

MADISON, Wis. - A mentally taxing season and the hopes of a giant college basketball payday have John Blackwell giving himself options for a fresh start.

A year after returning to Wisconsin following his time in the NBA Draft evaluation process, eschewing the transfer portal and turning down better financial offers to return to the Badgers, Blackwell is simultaneously entering the NBA Draft process and the transfer portal as he explores what to do for his final season of college eligibility.

Announcing that his Wisconsin career is completed, regardless of what he decides with the NBA, Blackwell's decision makes him one of the best, if not the best, guard to announce he's entering the transfer portal, which officially opens on Tuesday, April 7.

Wisconsin signing senior point guard Nick Boyd allowed Blackwell to move from point guard to his more natural shooting guard position last season, resulting in Blackwell shooting 43.0 percent overall, 38.9 percent from three, and 85.9 percent from the free-throw line.

The ninth Big Ten player since 2000 to average at least 19 points, five rebounds, two assists, and one steal per game, Blackwell earned third-team All-Big Ten honors and was named to the conference's all-tournament team.

While player contracts aren't publicly disclosed, it's believed that 10 college basketball players received at least $1.7 million for last season, with BYU star freshman A.J. Dybantsa receiving the most at $4.1 million. It's not out of the question that Blackwell makes that list in 2026-27.

Here's an early look at the three programs that make the most sense for Blackwell.

Illinois

The Illini have some momentum after making the Final Four for the first time since 2005, and Blackwell was reportedly in Indianapolis to watch it. According to 247sports' Jeremy Werner, Blackwell was in the Illinois section for Saturday's national semifinals, and head coach Brad Underwood and his staff have prepared for Blackwell to be available after the season.

With starting guard Kylan Boswell graduating and first-team All-Big Ten guard Keaton Wagler likely to enter the NBA Draft, Blackwell has an avenue right into Illinois' starting backcourt and would be working with a frontcourt that is expected to return David Mirkovic, Andrej Stojakovic, and Tomislav Ivisic.

Illinois got a huge recruiting boost with the commitment of four-star point guard Quentin Coleman. The top-35 prospect led his Missouri high school to a state title and averaged 23.1 points, 6.1 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 2.6 steals while shooting 64.9% from the field and 50.6% from three. Putting a veteran "2" guard next to him is ideal for Illinois, which has a lot of NIL money to use.

Throw in the fact that Blackwell's dad, Glynn Blackwell, appeared in 106 games (57 starts) at Illinois (1984-88), averaging 12.1 ppg as a senior, the opportunity to come full circle for Blackwell would be highly appealing.

Michigan

The Wolverines gave forwards Morez Johnson and Yaxel Lendeborg each a $2 million NIL package, a result that more than paid off with Michigan playing UConn for the national title tonight in Indianapolis. In fact, Michigan's entire starting five has been built through the portal, and two of its guards, Nimari Burnett and Roddy Gayle Jr., will be out of eligibility after this season.

Head coach Dusty May has led Michigan to two conference titles and two deep tournament runs in his first two seasons in Ann Arbor. May is also the former head coach of Boyd, who spoke highly of the way May grew his game as a young player. There's no doubt that Blackwell heard that messaging, considering how close the two players are.

Blackwell grew up less than an hour from Ann Arbor. While Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo has spoken glowingly of his appreciation for Blackwell, and will likely be among the dozens of schools involved with his recruitment, the Wolverines are the hottest landing spot.

Duke

If there wasn't enough reason for Wisconsin fans to hate Duke, the Blue Devils always have a roster ready-made to win. The only guaranteed exits for the Blue Devils are Maliq Brown and, in all likelihood, Cameron Boozer, who reportedly had a $2.2 million NIL package and should be a lottery pick.

Head coach Jon Scheyer is bringing in the 247Sports Composite top-rated recruiting class, consisting of five-stars Bryson Howard (SF), Deron Rippey Jr. (PG), Cameron Williams (PF), and four-star center Maxime Meyer. A roster full of talented freshmen needs a veteran presence like how Boyd was this past season for Wisconsin. Could that be Blackwell, who isn't the most vocal presence but certainly a leader with how he carries himself?

Scheyer will also be bringing back key rotational pieces, but need help with some depth on the wing. Blackwell can fit that mold for a Blue Devils team that is always in the national title hunt but has lost in agonizing fashion in the last two NCAA Tournaments.