The Golden State Warriors have, at the very least, an immediately impactful rotational contributor in Yaxel Lendeborg.
But in his summer league appearances, he looked more like the budding star that many Warriors fans thought he could be coming into the Draft. He showed complete confidence with the ball in his hands, working his way downhill and pulling up from beyond the arc with ease. Even entering the league at 24, he can quickly approach star territory if he can continue to polish his offensive package.
That leaves the Warriors with a stark choice to be made.
Lendeborg can obviously play small forward, and that might be his more natural position in the NBA. But pairing Green and Lendeborg in the frontcourt would leave Gui Santos, who emerged as a real offensive contributor for Golden State last season, on the bench. If the Warriors are ultimately able to land LeBron James, moreover, there will be a real decision to be made about who best complements him in the starting lineup.
Moving Green to the bench is an option that's gotten plenty of buzz among the Warriors' fandom over the past couple of seasons. But if Golden State ultimately decides to prioritize floor-spacing at certain points this season, it could open the door for a minimization of Green's role in 2026-27— even if it doesn't involve a permanent move to the bench.
Yaxel Lendeborg may be able to eat into Draymond Green's minutes in 2026-27
Given Lendeborg's lack of history as a consistent perimeter shooter during his time in college, there were doubts about his ability to immediately space the floor upon his entry to the NBA. But it looked real in Summer League, didn't it?
Across Lendeborg's eight appearances between the California Classic and the 2K26 NBA Summer League, he knocked down 45.9% of his attempts from beyond the arc. In fact, there were times where he shied away from his usual interior game in order to serve as a perimeter threat alongside LJ Cryer.
Green's offensive efficiency, meanwhile, has steadily dropped over the past couple of seasons in tandem with his defensive impact. Across 68 games last season, Green averaged just 8.4 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists while shooting 41.8% from the field and 32.6% from beyond the arc.
From a standpoint of pure offensive production, it might be the Warriors' best move to pair Lendeborg and Santos in the frontcourt. But of course, things aren't that simple when it comes to Green.
Green has already agreed to take a sizable pay-cut in order to grant Golden State additional financial flexibility. If that doesn't yield James this offseason, would he also be willing to slim down his role next season? Green and Curry's chemistry is unmatched, and that's a real consideration.
But it wouldn't necessarily take a move to the bench for Green's role to decrease. Even if he remains a starter, Kerr could prioritize rotations with Lendeborg, Santos, and Curry all on the floor at the same time, working Green in with the bench unit later in the game to provide additional defense and leadership for the young players.
It would be an uncomfortable call to make. But if Lendeborg's 3-point shooting proves real, such a move would be more than justifiable.
Add us as a preferred source on Google