Polarizing draft prospect Yaxel Lendeborg works out for Warriors

SAN FRANCISCO – Perhaps the most divisive player in the 2026 draft class worked out in front of the Warriors’ brass on Thursday afternoon.

Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg was the Big Ten Player of the Year and best player on the Wolverines' national championship-winning team while putting up 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game in Ann Arbor.

He has deft touch from all three levels, is a willing passer, has a pro-ready frame and can already defend at rebound at a pro level. For a Warriors team that will be missing both Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody for much of next season, he could play right away. Golden State hopes to introduce an immediate influx of young talent into a team that went 37-45 last season.

He is also represented by the same agency – Octagon – that touts Steph Curry as its top client. If the Warriors make Lendeborg their top selection, he already knows what is possible for him with Curry on the court.

"He provides so much gravity on the court that it makes it super easy for other guys to score," Lendeborg said of Curry after his workout at Chase Center.

So why is Lendeborg not a no-brainer pick for the Warriors at No. 11 in the June 23 draft and someone the team could build around?

Well, he is also going to be 24 years old by the start of training camp, downright elderly compared to the 19- and 20-year-olds who populate the draft lottery. Lendeborg scoffed at that talking point.

"I really don't like the word ‘upside,’" he said. "But if we want to use that word, I think I have the same amount as anybody else here."

The glittering potential to be an All-Star in a few years is more difficult to find, and picking a win-now player may not make sense when general manager Mike Dunleavy and coach Steve Kerr have both alluded to planning for a post-Curry era.

At his best, Lendeborg projects to be a great role player, not the focal point of a team who can carry an offense.

But age and the lack of top-tier potential notwithstanding, there is a lot to like about Lendeborg's game.

Lendeborg would immediately fill a position of need for the Warriors. As a versatile forward, he could hypothetically play smallball center as well, giving Golden State another look when the team wants to downsize.

Standing at 6-foot-9, he was comfortable acting as a passing hub (3.2 assists per game) for Michigan's high-powered attack. The role was reminiscent of Draymond Green, who is expected to either pick up his player option or renegotiate on a long-term deal.

"I do see some similarities, and he's a win-it-all guy, and he’s a connector for the squad," Lendeborg said. "I feel like I have a lot of similarities … and if I play alongside him, I'll be doing a lot of learning."

Playing next to 7-3 center Aday Mara, a draft prospect himself, Lendeborg's 6.8 rebounds a night look pedestrian. But when he was the focal point at Alabama-Birmingham before transferring to Michigan, Lendeborg led the American Athletic Conference in rebounds per game twice as a sophomore and junior.

The Warriors were 21st in rebounding last season, so Lendeborg would provide them a much-needed boost on the boards.

He is also a proven shooter, making 37.5% of his 3-pointers on 4.5 attempts per game. Helping Lendeborg's case is his 82.4% free throw percentage as a senior, a metric often used to separate shooters with good mechanics from players who had a one-off hot season from behind the arc.

That propensity to let it fly would allow him to fit right into Golden State's offense, which led the league in 3-point attempts per game.

"I came a long way the last three years in terms of shooting the ball, and so hopefully I can keep improving," Lendeborg said.

Other draft prospects come by

The Warriors also worked out projected second-round picks in Kylan Boswell and Felix Okpara on Thursday, as they joined the dozens of players the team has brought in over the past few weeks.

Boswell is a 21-year-old combo guard from Illinois who started next to projected top-10 pick Keaton Wagler. The two played in a pass-and-cut system that Boswell said had some similarities to what the Warriors do.

"I think that in Illinois, we did a lot of movement and off-ball stuff, and of course, you know the greatest shooter of all time is on this team, so finding him will be pretty easy," Boswell said.

Okpara is a 22-year-old center out of Tennessee who projects as a rim-running center. He saw his defense as his calling card in the NBA.

"I've always been a defensive guy, just a guy who can switch 1 through 5, block shots and rebound," Okpara said.

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This story was originally published June 11, 2026 at 4:03 PM.