Yaxel Lendeborg sends ‘draft me’ message to Mavericks’ Dusty May before 2026 Draft

With the Dallas Mavericks hiring Dusty May as its next head coach, all eyes are on the NBA Draft to see if his influence will be over the selections on Tuesday night. As rumors surround the Mavericks over who the team will pick at the 2026 NBA Draft, one player makes an open request.

May is coming off leading the Michigan Wolverines to a national championship win, led by such players as Aday Mara, Morez Johnson Jr., and Yaxel Lendeborg. The latter would be asked before the NBA Draft about his thoughts on May being the next Dallas coach, and after expressing his excitement, he asked for the team to select him.

“Draft me, please,” Lendeborg said, as the Mavericks own the No. 9 and 30 selections in the first round.

Yaxel wants the Mavericks to draft him at No. 9 to play for Dusty May, his coach at Michigan

"Draft me, please." pic.twitter.com/8bSo4MBnlH

— ESPN (@espn) June 23, 2026

While some fans may think that Dallas might look elsewhere, and they will do their due diligence, ClutchPoints’ NBA insider spoke about the Mavericks in his final mock draft and linked the Michigan stars to the team. With Lendeborg’s name included, Siegel would say that the Wolverines’ big man in Mara is the one who is “most associated” with Dallas.

“Immediately after news of Dusty May taking the Mavericks’ job broke, sources around the league began pointing to Dallas being a prime landing spot for one of the three Michigan players in this draft class — Aday Mara, Morez Johnson Jr., or Yaxel Lendeborg,” Siegel wrote. “Mara is the name that has been the most associated with the Mavs, and this makes a lot of sense, seeing as he went from a draft prospect that fell off everyone’s radar at UCLA to becoming a sure-thing lottery pick under May at Michigan.”

At any rate, it remains to be seen who the Mavericks choose and where Lendeborg goes.

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