Dusty May continues to do work in the transfer portal, retooling the national champion Michigan basketball team. The maize and blue quickly managed to secure Tennessee transfer JP Estrella not long after the transfer portal had opened. On Thursday, they added LSU forward Jalen Reed, the frequently injured big man who has a lot of promise.On Friday, May perhaps managed to land the catalyst that should help bolster the 2026-27 team in the biggest of ways -- literally and figuratively.Everyone now knows that May's team is best when it has a 7-foot-plus big man to run everything through.
With Aday Mara likely heading to the NBA and Malick Kordel transferring to Minnesota, the Wolverines didn't have such a player on the roster. But, the maize and blue secured one, with Cincinnati transfer Moustpha Thiam committing to Michigan basketball.Cincinnati's 7-foot-2 center Moustapha Thiam has committed to play for the reigning NCAA champion Michigan Wolverines, he tells ESPN. Thiam averaged 12.8 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks last season and serves as a major transfer portal pickup for coach Dusty May.— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) April 24, 2026Thiam was originally a four-star recruit, per 247Sports, ranked the No. 43 player in the country and the eighth-best center.
The Senegalese-born player entered the portal and saw his star rise even more, coming in as 247Sports' No. 13 player overall and third-best center.With Thiam in the fold, the maize and blue can expect to see a starting lineup of point guard Elliot Cadeau, shooting guard Trey McKenney, and Thiam, with still some questions to be answered, as the aforementioned Reed and Estrella could be either starters or role players. Michigan awaits word from Morez Johnson Jr., who will test the NBA draft waters but could return to Ann Arbor for another year. Michigan is also working to get Juke Harris, who appears to be between the Wolverines and the Vols.This article originally appeared on Wolverines Wire: Michigan basketball lands 7-foot-2 transfer Moustpha Thiam