The Golden State Warriors added some serious depth on Tuesday, drafting Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg with the 11th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. It’s an addition that should help the team immediately, as Lendeborg — an NCAA champion a few months ago — is a super senior who will be 24 years old when his first NBA season begins. But it’s also a long-term play, as the lengthy and versatile wing has tons of untapped potential, as was the No. 5 player on Ricky O’Donnell’s big board going into
the draft.
But he almost wasn’t a Warrior.
Guard Brayden Burries, who was known to be one of the players the Dubs were targeting, was taken one spot ahead of Lendeborg by the Milwaukee Bucks. As soon as that pick was in, NBA insider Jake Fischer reported that the Warriors were taking offers for the 11th overall pick.
Apparently none of the offers were compelling. The Dubs ended up keeping the pick, and using it on Lendeborg, the player I felt they should take going into draft day. By all accounts, the Warriors have every intention of keeping the pick now that Lendeborg has been selected, and will move forward with the do-everything rookie.
That may not have been a unanimous decision, as the broadcast appeared to catch general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. and majority owner Joe Lacob arguing in the team’s war room directly before the pick was made.
It’s unclear if the Warriors were dangling the pick because their heart was set on Burries (or one of the other players off the board), or if they were just exploring any and all ways to upgrade, and took that quest to the wire. Either way, they got a tremendous talent in Lendeborg, and no matter what else they considered, they have to be pretty excited about this infusion of talent.
