Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg Predicted to Land With Struggling NBA Team
The Michigan Wolverines snagged the Big Ten’s first NCAA championship since 2000 this year with their towering win over the UConn Huskies.
Now, one of their star players, Yaxel Lendeborg, is being predicted to land with a struggling NBA franchise.
New NBA mock drafts are out, and the landscape has changed. The NBA draft’s early entry deadline for basketball prospects to declare for the 2026 NBA draft was April 24, so the mocks have evolved a bit. Now, 71 college players have submitted their applications. The deadline for early entry candidates to take their names out of the pre-draft process while keeping collegiate eligibility is May 27.
In an article for USA Today laying out their latest mock draft, Bryan Kalbrosky predicts that Lendeborg finds a home with the Grizzlies at No. 6.
“Keep an eye on the Grizzlies as a potential suitor for Yaxel Lendeborg, who showed on his way to winning the national championship that he is perhaps the most NBA-ready player in this draft class,” he says in the piece. “The Big Ten Player of the Year offers a bit of everything on both sides of the ball and has silenced skeptics who were unsure how his game would scale after transferring from mid-major UAB to high-major Michigan.”
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He adds: “The Grizzlies have selected players with similar trajectories like Jaylen Wells and Cedric Coward. They are also not afraid to draft away from consensus and have shown a willingness to pick older, more experienced players like Zach Edey.”
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It’s actually a bit surprising that the championship team’s biggest star isn’t expected to be selected until pick No. 6, but it’s still a respectable spot. The Grizzlies could benefit from the strength and electricity of Lendeborg on the court, so don’t be surprised if this is one prediction that comes true.
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This story was originally published April 29, 2026 at 5:02 PM.