Breaking down Michigan basketball’s NCAA national championship
Shawn Windsor, Carlos Monarrez and Tony Garcia break down Michigan basketball’s 2nd national championship at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 6, 2026.
The first domino has fallen in Michigan basketball’s offseason.
Freshman shooting guard Winters Grady intends to enter the transfer portal, a source with knowledge of the situation confirmed to the Detroit Free Press on condition of anonymity because it isn’t official.
This was somewhat expected for the 6-foot-6, 210-pound shooting guard, who appeared in just nine games in 2025-26 and just once in 2026.
Grady dealt with a foot issue that has lingered since he broke his fifth metatarsal on his right foot as a junior in high school, he told the Free Press over the weekend in Indianapolis. The Free Press reported that Grady would be out for the remainder of the year in February after he had not appeared in a game for more than a month.
The expectation is he will apply for a medical redshirt after appearing in just nine games his first collegiate season.
A knockdown shooter, Grady was buried on the depth chart by a number of proven veterans like Nimari Burnett, Roddy Gayle Jr. and L.J. Cason, as well as freshman Trey McKenney this past year. When he did play, Grady averaged 2.9 points, 1.1 rebounds, 0.2 assists and 0.7 turnovers in 5.6 minutes per game while shooting 35% overall, 31.6% on 3-pointers and 85.7% on free throws.
With Burnett and Gayle graduating and Cason out for the season next year with an injury, there was a chance for him to carve out a bit of a role for himself, but it would still be an uphill battle. McKenney is expected to return to Ann Arbor for his sophomore season and the Wolverines also recently landed five-star shooting guard Brandon McCoy, who would likely leapfrog Grady for minutes.
A possible landing spot to keep an eye on? Oregon State, where former U-M assistant coach Justin Joyner has taken over as head coach. Grady, a Tualatin, Oregon native, grew up just more than an hour south of Corvallis.
Expect more movement from the Wolverines in the coming days.
Tony Garcia is the Michigan beat writer for the Detroit Free Press. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on X at @RealTonyGarcia.
