Yaxel Lendeborg made it simple. He didn’t dance around trade scenarios or agent leaks. He just looked into the camera and said what every draft prospect thinks but rarely says out loud.
“Draft me, please.”
The Michigan Wolverines big man was talking directly to the Dallas Mavericks, who hold the No. 9 and No. 30 picks in the 2026 NBA Draft. And the reason is personal. Dallas just hired Dusty May, Lendeborg’s college coach, who led Michigan to a national championship this season with a frontline that included Lendeborg, Aday Mara, and Morez Johnson Jr.
So yeah, the connection is real. And Lendeborg leaned into it hard during his pre-draft media availability. He grinned. He gestured. He made it clear he wants to follow his coach to the NBA.
The Michigan Pipeline
It’s not just Lendeborg who might end up in Dallas. According to ClutchPoints’ NBA insider, Mara is the guy most commonly linked to the Mavericks in league circles. After May took the job, multiple sources pointed to Dallas as a potential landing spot for one of those three Michigan players.
“Immediately after news of Dusty May taking the Mavericks’ job broke, sources around the league began pointing to Dallas being a prime landing spot for one of the three Michigan players in this draft class — Aday Mara, Morez Johnson Jr., or Yaxel Lendeborg,” the insider wrote. “Mara is the name that has been the most associated with the Mavs, and this makes a lot of sense, seeing as he went from a draft prospect that fell off everyone’s radar at UCLA to becoming a sure-thing lottery pick under May at Michigan.”
Mara’s revival under May is one of the better rehab stories in recent college hoops. He was borderline invisible at UCLA. Then he transferred to Michigan, got coached up, and turned into a first-round lock. That kind of history makes the connection between May and his former players hard to ignore.
Lendeborg, meanwhile, is a versatile forward who can rebound, stretch the floor, and defend multiple positions. He’s not the highest-ranked prospect in Michigan’s draft class, but he might have the loudest voice right now.
What the Mavericks Actually Need
Dallas has options at No. 9. They could go for a wing. They could grab a guard. But with May now running the show, expect some familiar faces to get a long look. The team hasn’t confirmed anything, obviously. Pre-draft speculation is part of the circus. But when a player publicly begs to be drafted by his former coach, it’s not just noise. It’s a signal.
Lendeborg posted the clip on social media with a crying-laughing emoji and the caption: “Yaxel wants the Mavericks to draft him at No. 9 to play for Dusty May, his coach at Michigan.” ESPN picked it up. The internet did its thing.
Whether Dallas actually uses that pick on him or goes in a different direction is still up in the air. Mara might be the safer bet. Johnson might have more upside. But Lendeborg made his pitch. And in a draft where certainty is rare, a player who wants to be somewhere on purpose — that carries weight.
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