Juke Harris, star transfer guard, not coming to Michigan basketball

The NBA combine takes place in Chicago from May 10–17, then players have until May 27 to decide if they want to exit the NBA Draft, set to take place June 23-24 at Barclays Center in New York.

A 6-foot-7, 200-pound guard with forward size, Harris was one of the nation's elite scorers last season with the Demon Deacons, finishing No. 14 nationally at 21.7 points per game to go with 6.5 rebounds.

Harris had seven games with 28 points or more, included 17 games with at least 20 points. He became Wake Forest's first player since 1961 to score at least 750 points in a season.

Michigan had a decent haul in the transfer portal, landing a trio of bigs: former Cincinnati center Moustapha Thiam, who will join former Tennessee big man J.P. Estrella in the frontcourt and ex-LSU big Jalen Reed.

For now, the Wolverines don't appear to have a potential replacement for Harris − U-M's staff feels comfortable entering 2026-27 with the roster as is − but there is potential for another addition moving forward.

Feb. 11, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia; Wake Forest Demon Deacons guard Juke Harris (2) shoots past Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets guard Davi Remagen (10) in the first quarter at McCamish Pavilion.

A addition could come at wing, with Michigan needing to replace Yaxel Lendeborg, Roddy Gayle Jr. and Will Tschetter, all of whom split time at the small forward last season. There are options for the role internally − Trey McKenney or Brandon McCoy could serve as small-ball options, or Oscar Goodman or Quinn Costello could be oversized threes.

Additionally, Ricky Liburd, who redshirted last season, could step into the spot.

In any event, as U-M works on getting back to the Final Four in Detroit in 2027 and repeating as national champions, Harris will not be wearing maize and blue.

Tony Garcia is the Michigan beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at apgarcia@freepress.com and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.

This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan basketball won't land star transfer guard Juke Harris