Michigan’s Nimari Burnett, Roddy Gayle Ink NBA Contracts: Where’s Will Tschetter?

The Michigan Wolverines had three players drafted in Round 1 of the 2026 NBA Draft — all three in the lottery. It was the first time in 36 years that Michigan had three players go in the first round, and following the draft, a pair of Wolverines inked undrafted free agent deals.

Nimari Burnett and Roddy Gayle Jr. find homes

Both Nimari Burnett and Roddy Gayle Jr. were long shots to be selected in the draft itself, but both players were very likely to get scooped up following the two-round event.

Burnett was signed first. He landed an Exhibit-10 deal with the Toronto Raptors. Meaning, he has an invite to the team’s training camp, and will play on Toronto’s Summer League team. If he gets waived, he can earn a bigger bonus by signing with the Raptors’ G-League affiliate and staying there for 60 days.

After a season at Texas Tech, and two at Alabama, Burnett played three seasons at Michigan — his first being the 8-24 season under Juwan Howard. But Burnett stuck it out and became a national champion under former Michigan head coach Dusty May.

In Burnett’s final season at Michigan, he averaged 8.2 points and shot nearly 38% from three. The year prior, Burnett had a larger role and averaged 9.4 points and shot 40% from three. He will have to prove he can be a reliable three-and-D player in the NBA to carve out a roster spot.

As for Roddy Gayle, he inked an Exhibit-10 contract with the Detroit Pistons.

Gayle’s journey to Michigan was quite unique. He played for rival Ohio State for two seasons before Mike Boynton led the charge to get Gayle to Michigan. Dusty May saw a role for Gayle, and Boynton made sure the job got done.

Gayle began his two-year career as a starter, but he played better coming off the bench and gave Michigan a scorer off the bench. Gayle came up clutch at big times, and ‘March Roddy’ was his calling card. In his final season at Michigan, he averaged 7.3 points and 3.3 rebounds off the bench.

Where’s Will Tschetter?

Following Michigan winning the national title, Tschetter left the United State and inked a deal with the Warwick Senators of the NBL League in Australia. He exploded in his debut, scoring 25 points and 13 rebounds.

And Tschetter has only continued to do damage overseas. In 11 games, the scoring big man is averaging 28.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, while shooting 38% from three.

Tschetter leaned into a unique role for Michigan during his time in Ann Arbor. He was never asked to be a scoring threat, but he always provided energy off the bench, and someone who would do the small things.

With Tschetter’s play overseas, it’s only a matter of time before an NBA team offers the national champion a contract.