2027 NBA Draft: Michigan Could Bring Back Key Piece of Title Team

The Wolverines are losing a number of players from 2025-26, but could get a key piece back.

Michigan Wolverines guard Roddy Gayle Jr. (11) reacts after a scored basket Monday, April 6, 2026, against the UConn Huskies during the NCAA men's basketball tournament national championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

After winning a national championship in 2026, the Michigan Wolverines' roster will look a lot different heading into the 2026-27 campaign.

Head coach Dusty May left to join the Dallas Mavericks, and standout trio Morez Johnson Jr., Yaxel Lendeborg and Aday Mara were selected in the 2026 NBA Draft.

To replenish the roster, new head coach Mike Boynton added Tennessee transfer J.P. Estrella and Cincinnati transfer Moustapha Thiam, as well as five-star recruit Brandon McCoy.

Recently, though, Michigan announced that McCoy suffered an ACL injury and will miss the upcoming season.

Despite that, the Wolverines could receive good news in the coming weeks as the team looks to bring back veteran guard Roddy Gayle Jr., who played for Michigan in 2024-25 and 2025-26. Gayle spent the first two years of his college career at Ohio State, and is seeking a fifth year of eligibility amidst a flurry of court cases around the NCAA.

According to a report from Tony Garcia of the Detroit Free Press, Gayle, "was granted a temporary restraining order by a judge in New York to return to play for Michigan basketball on the heels of a lawsuit he filed earlier this week."

"The suit, filed in Niagara County Supreme Court, seeks a preliminary injunction to extend Gayle’s eligibility through the 2026-27 season. He’s due in court for his hearing on Sept. 17 but is permitted to participate with the team until that time."

Gayle would be a helpful addition to the Wolverines' roster, especially after Boynton's team lost McCoy, who was expected to play a significant role, for the season. In 2025-26, Gayle averaged 7.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game while shooting 46.3% from the field and 31.8% from 3-point range while helping Michigan to a title.

Gayle went undrafted in the 2026 class, but played for the Detroit Pistons in the Las Vegas Summer League. The veteran guard averaged 5.5 points and 2.3 rebounds per game in Las Vegas, including a 10-point performance off the bench, shooting 4-for-4 from the field and 2-for-2 from deep.

While Gayle's performance during the 2025-26 NCAA season wasn't eye-popping, his showing with Detroit was encouraging and showed that the potential Wolverines' returnee can compete against other potential NBA players.

If Gayle is able to play and gets more opportunities in 2026-27, the former four-star recruit could earn a spot late in the 2027 NBA Draft with a strong showing at Michigan.