Two key UNC basketball players enter NCAA transfer portal. What that means for Tar Heels

North Carolina sophomore point guard Elliot Cadeau and junior forward Jalen Washington entered the NCAA transfer portal on Tuesday.

Their departures mark a significant shift for the Tar Heels as they prepare for the upcoming 2025-26 season.

These roster changes come shortly after UNC’s early exit from the NCAA Tournament, where the Tar Heels were eliminated in the first round by Ole Miss in a 71-64 loss. With Cadeau and Washington entering the portal, the North Carolina coaching staff faces a pivotal offseason as it works to rebuild the roster — this time with added help in the form of Jim Tanner, the program’s general manager who was hired in February.

Cadeau, a former five-star recruit from West Orange, New Jersey, joined UNC in the 2023-24 season. As a freshman, he averaged 7.3 points and 4.1 assists per game, recording 150 total assists — the most for a UNC freshman since Marcus Paige in 2013.

He increased his production in his sophomore season, averaging 9.4 points and 6.2 assists per game. However, he also averaged 3.1 turnovers per game and, while he improved his three-point shot — he shot 18.9% from distance as a sophomore — he only connected from deep 33.7% of the time.

Cadeau’s decision to transfer leaves the Tar Heels without a starting point guard. In his absence, the team will need to recruit an experienced playmaker during the offseason.

Washington, meanwhile, spent three seasons with UNC, steadily growing into a key rotation player. The 6-foot-10 forward from Gary, Indiana, averaged 5.7 points and 4.2 rebounds per game in the 2024-25 season. Even after being left out of the starting lineup starting in late January, his inside presence and rebounding ability remained crucial to UNC’s frontcourt depth. With his departure, the Tar Heels will seek reinforcements in the post.

Michelle Cadeau, Elliot’s mother, confirmed to the News & Observer that her son entered his name in the portal.

In a post on the social media site X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday, Cadeau’s mother, Michelle, refuted finances being the reason for his transfer.

“For the record: Elliot hasn’t asked for anything,” Michelle Cadeau wrote. “If it was for the money, he wouldn’t have been at UNC in the first place. Whomever started that rumor has an agenda for sure,”

This story was originally published March 25, 2025 at 6:54 PM.