Warriors, Thunder could find themselves battling over Yaxel Lendeborg in NBA Draft

The first round of the 2026 NBA Draft is Tuesday, June 23. Until then, we will see tons of mock drafts in what will be a loaded front-end of the first round.

Many mock drafts are seeing BYU Star AJ Dybantsa as the first one to hear his name called on draft night. However, anything can happen as we have no idea which teams are selecting in what order. The NBA Draft Lottery could provide another chaotic moment and have an unlikely team earn the top pick. It happened one year ago with the Dallas Mavericks getting Cooper Flagg.

One name we will focus on here is Yaxel Lendeborg, an NCAA champion with the Michigan Wolverines. Lendeborg was the best player on a stacked roster in Ann Arbor. It was not a shock to see the Wolverines win the NCAA Tournament, and it won’t be a surprise to see Lendeborg’s name be called as a Top 12 pick.

Recent mock drafts see the Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors battling over Lendeborg. The Athletic predicts the Warriors will take the champion on draft night with the 11th pick.

“His (Lendeborg’s) counting numbers were down from his heights at UAB, but he averaged 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists while playing aggressive defense…”

“…The Warriors could use another big wing next to Stephen Curry and Draymond Green as they near the end of their careers.”

Could the 2025 NBA champions want another big man as well? ESPN predicts that the Thunder will own the 12th pick, via the Los Angeles Clippers. The Thunder own the pick because the Clippers lost in the NBA Play-In Tournament.

“The Clippers falling out of the play-in means the 64-win Thunder, who own this pick, have a long-shot opportunity on lottery night. The Thunder also own the 17th pick and will have an incentive to try and consolidate some of their assets, with minimal roster-spot wiggle room in the offseason. Lendeborg would be a ready-made addition to their frontcourt, and his size and versatility would be valuable immediately on a contender.”

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