Illinois’ Brandon Lee is entering the transfer portal and is now searching for a new home for his sophomore campaign, according to On3.

NEWS: Illinois freshman Brandon Lee will enter the @TransferPortal, per his agent @DanielPoneman of @WEAVE.The 6-4 guard and former 4⭐️ recruit appeared in 18 games this season for an Illinois team that made it to the Final Four. https://t.co/P2CLLLO2iq pic.twitter.com/CsyHb83Rfl

Lee, a former four-star recruit, played in 17 games this past season and averaged 4.2 minutes per game as a Freshman. While he didn’t see much action, his departure more than likely signifies a lack of a solidified role on the 2026-2027 team and a difficult path towards more action.

Despite a minuscule role on last season’s team, at a minimum, Lee would have provided solid depth on this upcoming season’s roster. This past season became a developmental year for Lee, but if he has a good summer, puts on more weight, and the coaching staff ultimately is not able to carve out a role for Lee as a mid-range and behind-the-arc scorer.

Lee developed a strong relationship with Ty Rodgers, Jake Davis and Ben Humrichous this past season and was clearly one of the players emotionally reeling from the Final Four loss in Indianapolis earlier this month.