3 Elliot Cadeau replacements in transfer portal who’d make UNC Tar Heels better

It has been a tough start to the offseason for the North Carolina Tar Heels. After a turbulent and ultimately disappointing campaign, UNC was swiftly dispatched by Ole Miss in the first round of March Madness. The Tar Heels shouldn't even have gotten that far, if we're being honest.

Hubert Davis has a lot to figure out with his roster. The departure of stalwart senior R.J. Davis leaves a gaping hole in UNC's backcourt. He has been the lifeblood of this Tar Heels team for years now. Without Davis to create from scratch and carry UNC in the clutch, (Hubert) Davis will need to get creative — or, better yet, ambitious. The Tar Heels need to buck recent ACC trends and really hammer the transfer portal.

Now, UNC's backcourt takes another hit. Elliot Cadeau, the former top recruit and talented sophomore, will look to play elsewhere as a junior. His "do not contact" designation suggests that Cadeau already has his next team picked out.

UNC is basically down its starting backcourt, with talented freshman Ian Jackson — a natural successor on paper — likely headed to the NBA Draft alongside fellow five-star frosh Drake Powell. There is a lot of talent departing the Tar Heels program right now. It will be difficult to rebuild on the fly.

Here are a few options Hubert Davis can turn to for backcourt support with options running thin.

3. All Wright, Valparaiso

Best name in college hoops? Maybe.

More than a perennial member of the NCAA All-Name Team, however, All Wright is a clear rising star in the college ranks. He broke through as a freshman at Valparaiso, averaging 15.5 points and 2.4 assists on .408/.388/.805 splits in 29.6 minutes. He made the MVC All-Freshman team and was named MVC Rookie of the Year. Wright then entered the portal, presumably in search of a larger stage and a bigger NIL check. UNC can provide both.

The Tar Heels should be weary of banking everything on a guard from the Missouri Valley Conference — even this version of the ACC presents a sharp increase in level of competition — but Wright checks a lot of boxes. He's still in the early stages of his career, and could profile as a three-year option in the UNC backcourt. With so much turnover this spring (and in college hoops in general), Davis should be embrace the potential stability of adding a player like Wright.

He also infuses the UNC backcourt with serious shot-making talent. Wright finished in the 100th percentile for catch-and-shooting efficiency this season (74 EFG%). That presents a sharp contrast to Cadeau, whose inability to space the floor was often a headache for UNC fans. Wright can also wiggle his way to the rim and score with touch on floaters and scoop layups. He's a crafty finisher, with enough playmaking juice (1.7 AST:TO) to help UNC set the table.

2. Jalil Bethea, Miami

Jalil Bethea joined the Miami Hurricanes last season as a the No. 7 recruit in his class and a projected one-and-done NBA prospect. The results did not match the hype, however, as Bethea struggled to establish a consistent role for the Canes. He appeared in 31 games (16 starts), averaging 7.1 points and 1.2 assists on .368/.326/.820 splits in 18.2 minutes.

It's clear why Bethea is entering the portal: he wants a more substantial role. The Tar Heels are in a position to hand him one. This feels like such an obvious pickup for Hubert Davis and the UNC brass. Bethea was easy to get eyeballs on in the ACC last season. There is immense breakout potential once he gets to a better program with a more stable supporting cast.

UNC needs all the backcourt firepower it can get its hands on. I'd imagine Jackson's NBA future is a factor here, as there are blatant parallels between how both freshmen approach the game. If Jackson returns, it may render Bethea's skill set a bit redundant. If Jackson leaves, Bethea has a chance to blossom into UNC's top scorer in a flash.

Bethea needs to improve his shot selection and efficiency, but he's a gifted shooter with solid positional size and athleticism at 6-foot-5. He will create his own looks, torch mismatches in isolation, and hopefully give UNC some of the clutch heroics they're losing sans R.J. Davis.

1. Donovan Dent, New Mexico

This feels like the most natural replacement for Elliot Cadeau specifically. New Mexico's Donovan Dent led the Mountain West in scoring as a junior (20.4), hitting 40.9 percent of his 3s on light volume and creating for teammates at a high level. He averaged 6.4 assists to 3.1 turnovers, constantly getting into the teeth of the defense and delivering high-level passing reads out of pick-and-rolls.

There's a chance he tests the NBA waters and gets real second-round looks, but Dent probably returns to school for a chance to boost his stock even further — especially if he gets a chance to do it with a program like UNC. He's only 6-foot-2 and 170 pounds, but Dent is ultra-quick getting downhill and he's great at negating shot contests with floaters and crafty below-the-rim finishes.

Dent is precisely what UNC needs in lieu of Cadeau. He will penetrate, collapse the defense, and give UNC a dependable table-setter to build its offense around. That he's so much better in the scoring department is all the better. He still needs to jack up the 3-point volume, but Dent's touch is mighty impressive. There's reason to believe he can shoot more.