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Illinois basketball transfer portal departure finds perfect landing spot

The Illinois basketball team had a few departures in the transfer portal, and one found a great landing spot on Friday.
ByRees Woodcock|
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Jan 8, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Brandon Lee (1) drives the ball around Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Lino Mark (2) during the second half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images
Jan 8, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Brandon Lee (1) drives the ball around Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Lino Mark (2) during the second half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

For the most part, Illinois basketball fans shouldn’t get upset when a player decides to enter the transfer portal.

I think the only exception to the rule is when a talented Illini player who is getting plenty of minutes and starts, then decides to transfer out to another Big Ten program, and then proceeds to win a national championship. Not trying to be too specific.

A few weeks ago, Brandon Lee made the understandable decision to bolt the Illinois program and find greener pastures. This decision didn’t come as a surprise, but it only took him about three weeks to find a landing spot.

On Friday, Sam Kayser of League Ready reported that Lee has decided to pick James Madison as his landing spot.

This is a great decision for Lee. The 6-foot-4, 180-pound freshman is coming off a season where he played 18 games and didn’t see a start. He logged 4.1 minutes per contest and averaged 1.7 points each night.

With what Illinois has coming back for the 2026-27 season, and some of the quality additions, there was not going to be room for Lee to see starts. His playing time would have been extremely limited, too.

Brandon Lee found a great landing spot after leaving the Illinois basketball program

I am sure numerous teams were eyeing Lee, but the decision to pick the Dukes is a good one. This is a program where Lee can start from day one.

James Madison is losing their top two guards from last season. Cliff Davis and Bradley Douglas averaged 15.6 points and 12.1 points per game, respectively, in 2025-26. That is a lot of missing production.

Lee won’t have a ton of competition in the backcourt, either. James Madison did add a few guards, but it seems like it could be Lee and Northwestern transfer KJ Windham starting for the Dukes next season.

I love the decision by Lee. I think this kid could be pretty good. It wouldn’t shock me if he were one of the lead dogs on a Cinderella James Madison team in the near future.

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