Illinois basketball: The latest on the Illini offseason, and what could come next

Why the Illini will return to the Final 4 soon | Chicago Sports Tonight

Kendall Gill joined Tina Nguyen in studio to recap the Illini's tough Final 4 loss to UCONN on Saturday. What caused the Illini's cold shooting? Also, Kendall reflects on what the Illini returning to prominence means for him and other Illini alumni. Plus, how quickly can Brad Underwood get this program back to the Final 4?

At the Final Four, Illinois basketball was dealing with the present.

"Our focus and our concentration was on this year," Illini assistant coach Orlando Antigua said. "We'll turn that page when it's appropriate."

Consider it appropriate. The future is coming into play for the Illini, now.

Here’s the latest on where Illinois basketball stands as the offseason begins, departures are coming clear and the transfer portal is coming into play.

What we know:

The one expected development came Saturday evening, as star guard and All-American Keaton Wagler declared for the 2026 NBA Draft.

Seen as one of the best offensive playmakers in college basketball, Wagner will easily be a lottery pick in the NBA Draft. It also creates a massive void for the Illini, who need to find a superstar offensive talent to pair alongside Andrej Stojakovic and the rest of the Illinois returnees.

Wagler’s declaration joins Kylan Boswell, Ben Humrichous, Toni Bilic and Mihailo Petrovic as players who are all departing from the program. Boswell and Humrichous are out of eligibility. Bilic and Petrovic entered the transfer portal.

It wasn’t all subtraction, though. Illinois got a transfer portal commitment from Providence transfer guard Stefan Vaaks on Sunday, and that’s a big add for Brad Underwood’s offense.

The scouting report on Vaaks, who stands at 6-foot-7, will say he’s is one of the best spot-up 3-point shooters in America, according to 247Sports. He doesn’t need much room, because he can create his separation for his shot with his tall frame. He averaged 15.8 points, 3.2 assists and 2.5 rebounds per game for Providence last season, and shot 35 percent from 3-point range.

He’s not going to replace Wagner’s star profile. But, Vaaks a ball-dominant scoring player who has three years of eligibility remaining. He’ll bring immediate potential to the Illini 2026-2027 roster to pair with incoming four-star freshman guard Quentin Coleman.

What we don't know:

The offseason will depend on a few developments for Illinois.

First will depend on how many players Underwood and the staff can retain in the offseason. Stojakovic, David Mirkovic, Tomislav Ivisic, Zvonimir Ivisic, Jake Davis and Ty Rodgers are all eligible to return, and it seems likely each of those players will be back in Champaign.

All of their returns are not yet confirmed, but Underwood and his staff will have a chance a pathway to doing it. Some of the potential returnees expressed that interest after the loss to UConn ended their season.

"I definitely wanna do it again," Zvonimir Ivisic said of playing with his brother, Tomislav. "It just sucks to end like this. But, we did a lot of great things this season."

Getting some of those players back would go a long way in replicating success, but the Illini still need some fire power. Landing Vaaks in the portal might not be the only portal addition, either.

Illinois is in the mix for Wisconsin transfer guard John Blackwell, one of the best pure-scoring guards in the portal right now. The Illini are familiar with him in multiple ways.

Blackwell’s dad, Glynn Blackwell, played four seasons at Illinois. Blackwell also gashed the Illini for 24 and 31 points in separate outings. Getting him would give Illinois a guard who can find points in bunches from multiple levels, especially from beyond the arc. Blackwell shot 38.9 percent on his 3-pointers last season.

Blackwell is reportedly down to six schools, and Illinois is one of them.

What happens next will define what plenty of expectations for the Illini following a Final Four season.