Warriors GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. Jokes Heated Draft Room Argument With Joe Lacob Was About Golf Courses

The Golden State Warriors’ war room got a little loud on draft night. And it wasn’t because someone spilled coffee on a draft board.

With the 11th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft approaching, a live broadcast caught Warriors governor Joe Lacob and general manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. in what looked like a pretty intense argument. Heads were shaking. Voices were raised. You could almost feel the tension through the screen. But what set them off?

According to Dunleavy, it was something truly critical to the franchise’s future: the best golf course in San Francisco.

“Yeah, we got into it about best golf course in San Francisco. Didn’t agree with me, which you know it’s all in the eye to beholder,” Dunleavy said during his post-draft press conference, per ClutchPoints beat reporter Kenzo Fukuda.

The joke got a laugh, but Dunleavy eventually got real about what happened. There were trade talks happening in the room. Other potential picks were being debated. The Warriors were weighing options right up to the clock.

“As far as the discussion with Joe and I, at that point, there’s probably some talks regarding trades or things like that. But ultimately, we were in agreement to take Yaxel,” Dunleavy added.

And Yaxel Lendeborg is who they took. A 23-year-old wing out of UAB, Lendeborg isn’t the youngest prospect in the class. He’s older than most of his draft peers, which usually means less upside. But the Warriors don’t care about that. They need players who can help now, not projects who need three years to figure out how to set a screen.

Lendeborg is a 3-and-D forward who moves well without the ball and understands spacing. That’s basically Steve Kerr’s dream. He’s not a center, which some fans wanted, but the draft was loaded with guards. The Warriors went for a versatile forward who can step in and contribute right away.

As for Lacob and Dunleavy, they’re fine. No lingering beef. No front office fracture. Just two guys who care a lot about a basketball team and apparently also have strong opinions about municipal golf.