How Aday Mara, Morez Johnson could impact Michigan’s transfer portal strategy

Michigan forward Morez Johnson Jr. (21), left, and center Aday Mara (15) answer questions at break out room ahead of practice at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis for practice on Friday, April 3, 2026. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Michigan Wolverines are waiting on front court duo Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr. to announce their decisions on entering the NBA Draft or returning to school, but there is plenty of time for them to make their final decision.

Unfortunately, that does not coincide well with the transfer portal window, which is open for another week still. The Wolverines landed Tennessee big man J.P. Estrella anyways, but Michigan very likely would have made that move whether Mara and/or Johnson came back to school or not.

In an interview with CBS Sports insider Jon Rothstein, head coach Dusty May detailed the latest on Mara and Johnson and how it’s affecting Michigan’s strategy in the transfer portal.

“They’re still gathering information and trying to make decisions,” May said. “We anticipate both of them will have an option to be first round draft picks, so they’re weighing the pros and cons and what they want to do as people.”

Michigan is reportedly targeting several players in the portal, but not knowing if Mara or Johnson will decide to return likely has an impact on the Wolverines’ willingness to pursue transfers. Both Mara and Johnson are expected to forego their remaining eligibility and enter the NBA Draft if they receive a guarantee they will be selected in the first round.

Mara was one of the Big Ten’s best centers this season, scoring a career-high 12.1 points and 6.8 rebounds per game while totaling a school-record 103 blocks en route to winning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. According to Rookie Scale’s Consensus Big Board, Mara is projected to be the 17th overall pick, so he will likely declare for the draft.

Johnson impressed in his first year at Michigan as well, posting 13.1 points and a team-high 7.3 rebounds per game. He also showed off an ability to expand his offensive repertoire by shooting 12-for-35 from three-point range. Rookie Scale’s Consensus Big Board currently has Johnson projected to be at the end of the first round as the 25th pick.

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

If both Mara and Johnson eventually end up heading to the NBA, the Wolverines will need to rebuild the front court depth via the portal. Michigan already has Estrella, but the unknown future of Mara and Johnson could hinder if the Wolverines are able to attract other high-profile transfers.

“That’s the difficult thing with balancing this right now,” May said. “With transfer portal decisions being made so quickly and those guys (Mara and Johnson) not having final decisions yet. They’re very transparent with their thought process so we have a pretty good idea of what it’s going to look like, but you can never say that with 100 percent certainty.”

It sounds like Michigan is preparing to be without both players next season, but given their projected draft range, Johnson seems more likely to come back than Mara. Since their decision could drag out until next month, Michigan must balance the tight rope by keeping the door open for them to return while also remaining a top destination for transfer big men.