Michigan basketball was already going to have to replace several starting spots in the lineup next season.

It looks like the Wolverines will have to fill another, as junior point guard Tre Donaldson entered the transfer portal, a source familiar with the situation confirmed to The Detroit News on Tuesday.

Donaldson posted an image of a broken heart on an Instagram story shortly after the news broke on social media. His decision comes a day after Michigan received a commitment from North Carolina transfer Elliot Cadeau, the Tar Heels’ starting point guard the past two seasons.

Donaldson transferred to Michigan last offseason for the opportunity to play a larger role. Under first-year coach Dusty May, Donaldson started all 37 games and averaged 11.3 points, 4.1 assists and 3.5 rebounds in 31.1 minutes, all career-high marks.

Donaldson played his first two seasons at Auburn, where he shared point guard responsibilities and averaged 4.7 points and 2.3 assists in 67 games.

“I feel like it’s something I’ve earned. I’ve proven myself,” Donaldson said of his role with Michigan in December. “I’m just doing everything I can with the opportunity I’m given. Last year, I wasn’t worried about how many minutes I was playing; I just had to worry about what I could do with my minutes. I feel like that’s what I continue to do here, whether it be a lot of minutes or a little bit of minutes.”

Donaldson played a huge part in Michigan’s run to the Big Ten tournament title and Sweet 16. He made several clutch shots in crunch time, most notably his coast-to-coast, last-second layup against Maryland in the conference tournament semifinals and his go-ahead 3-pointer in the closing minutes against UC San Diego in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Even though Donaldson showed an ability to play on and off ball throughout the season, Michigan’s guard room is crowded. Several guards on this year’s team are set to return, like Roddy Gayle Jr. and L.J. Cason, and others are coming in, like Cadeau and Orchard Lake St. Mary’s star Trey McKenney, who’s a McDonald’s All-American.

Donaldson’s decision means the Wolverines will have at least three vacant spots in the starting lineup. Center Vlad Goldin and guard Rubin Jones have both exhausted their eligibility. Big man Danny Wolf could create another opening if he decides to enter the NBA Draft.

U-M adds North Carolina PG Elliot Cadeau from portal

Dusty May and Michigan basketball wasted little time dipping into the transfer portal and adding some help for next season.

Elliot Cadeau, North Carolina’s starting point guard the past two seasons, announced his commitment to the Wolverines in a social media post on Monday.

The 6-foot-1 Cadeau made a noticeable leap during his sophomore season with the Tar Heels, averaging 9.4 points, 6.2 assists and 2.9 rebounds per game. He also shot a 33.7% from 3-point range (29-for-86), a drastic improvement from the 18.9% he shot from long range (10-for-53) as a freshman.

He started the season off strong and scored in double figures in seven straight games, including a 12-point, seven-assist performance at Kansas, a 10-point, six-rebound outing against Auburn and a 17-point, six-assist showing against Michigan State.

Cadeau’s best performance in ACC play came during the conference tournament, when he scored 15 points, made all three of his 3-point attempts and dished out five assists against Duke.

While Cadeau ranked fourth on North Carolina in scoring, his strength is as a distributor and a playmaker, the latter of which Michigan lacked on the roster this season. His 231 assists led the ACC and ranked eighth in the nation. He also assisted on 38.2% of his team’s field goals when on the court, a mark that ranks No. 14 in the nation, per KenPom.

However, Cadeau also led the ACC in turnovers, with 3.1 per game and 113 total. Turnovers were Michigan’s Achilles heel this season.

Coming out of high school, Cadeau was a five-star prospect and top-15 recruit who reclassified from the 2024 class to arrive in Chapel Hill a year earlier. The New Jersey native came off the bench the first five games of his freshman season before moving into starting lineup for good.

Cadeau entered the transfer portal last week after North Carolina’s season ended in the first round of the NCAA Tournament to Ole Miss. The Tar Heels finished 23-14.

U-M loses 3-point threat Sam Walters to portal

Sam Walters’ time at Michigan was cut short and will end after one year.

The sharpshooting sophomore who joined the program this past season from Alabama has entered his name into the transfer portal, according to multiple reports Monday.

The 6-foot-10 Walters played in 23 games off the bench and averaged five points in 12.7 minutes while shooting 36.6% from 3-point range (26-for-71). He last took the court on Feb. 8 at Indiana, missing one game for a family funeral and the final 13 games due to a back injury.

Walters didn’t travel with the team to Indianapolis for the Big Ten tournament nor to Michigan’s two NCAA Tournament stops in Denver and Atlanta.

Earlier this month, assistant coach Kyle Church said Walters had been dealing with a back issue since the Dec. 10 game against Arkansas at Madison Square Garden.

“This has been kind of lingering. I think it hit a tipping point … about a month ago or so,” Church said. “I think it’s slowly getting better. Some days are better than others. … With backs, obviously, it’s difficult. We want to be cautious. Our first priority is his long-term health.”

With Walters in the lineup, the Wolverines shot 36.3% from deep (214-for-589) and had 12 games with at least 10 made 3-pointers.

With Walters sidelined, Michigan shot 27.4% from 3-point range (87-for-318) and never made more than nine deep balls in a contest.

“(We miss) his ability to stretch the floor, his ability to be a threat and have to be accounted for at all times,” coach Dusty May said before the postseason. “That’s not even taking into account his ability to bang in two or three straight 3s to separate. Earlier in the year when we had some games with margins, when we go back and look at those the clips from those games, a lot of them Sam was a big part of the separation, going from 12 to 20 (points) quickly.”