So far through the pre-draft process, Golden State Warriors fans have mostly been left in the dark.
In part, this is due to the sheer number of paths the Warriors have available to them at 11th overall. They need help across the entirety of their roster, and they need a prospect who will be able to step up almost immediately as a rotational contributor.
Steve Kerr has stated that whoever the Warriors select will get an immediate opportunity to earn playing time, but that doesn't necessarily reveal much about Golden State's ultimate intention. This draft class is deep enough that a player worthy of that opportunity can be found at every position outside the top-10.
This statement certainly warrants a wide array of speculations. But at the end of the day, the most obvious fit will always be Yaxel Lendeborg, the polished, bruising wing out of Michigan. There are certainly cases to be made for other prospects, including his two college teammates Morez Johnson Jr. and Aday Mara. But until the Warriors' selection is made on June 23, Lendeborg will be one of the handful of names buzzing around the fanbase.
Now, Golden State has finally cracked open that door. They'll bring Lendeborg in for a pre-draft workout tomorrow, as initially reported by Anthony Slater at ESPN.
Warriors are working out Michigan wing Yaxel Lendeborg tomorrow at Chase Center. Older prospect, bigger wing who is a theoretical plug-and-play option. He is a real option for them at #11. A few other lottery prospects expected in SF next week.
— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) June 10, 2026
Yaxel Lendeborg represents the first of the Warriors' first-round explorations, and for good reason
Out of the confirmed pre-draft workouts Golden State has held so far, virtually all of them have been with prospects projected to go in the second round. The focus, moreover, has primarily been on guards, with Ryan Conwell (Louisville), Emmanuel Sharp (Houston), Ja'Kobi Gillespie (Tennessee), and Kylan Boswell (Illinois) included among the growing list of names.
Lendeborg, therefore, is their first confirmed visit with a potential lottery prospect. There's likely a reason he's at the top of the list.
Across 40 games last season as a senior at Michigan, Lendeborg averaged 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists. He shot 51.5% from the floor and 37.1% from 3-point range over the course of the season.
Detractors will point to his age (he'll be 24 by the start of his rookie season) and his lack of experience against top competition as reasons why he should fall out of the lottery. For Golden State, though, both these things can easily be spun into positives.
At 24, Lendeborg is already physically mature. Although he might project long-term as more a small forward/wing, he has the size and the rebounding feel to play strong minutes at the four if he's needed. Pairing him with Gui Santos and Draymond Green in the Warriors' frontcourt has to be an appealing option for the front office.
Moreover, his limited time at Michigan was a result of the three years he spent at the junior college level before making the leap to University of Alabama-Birmingham. In his lone season at one of the top programs in the country, Lendeborg proved he had what it took to dominate against college's best players. But his short stint with top-level coaching and exposure to these teams likely means there's room for him to take another leap even at his age.
If Golden State is going to take a swing on Lendeborg, though, they'll need to be sold on his physical and offensive upside at the next level. His pre-draft workout could be a major opportunity for Lendeborg to convince them he's worth the gamble.
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