NBA Draft: Warriors, after animated discussion between GM and owner, select Michigan star Yaxel Lendeborg with No. 11 pick
· Yahoo Sports
Mike Dunleavy and Joe Lacob got into what can be described as, at the very least, an animated discussion moments before the Golden State Warriors made their selection at No. 11 in the NBA Draft on Tuesday night.
While it didn’t look pleasant, the Warriors’ general manager downplayed the moment he shared with Lacob hours later.
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“We got into it about the best golf course in San Francisco. He didn’t agree with me, which, it’s all in the eye of the beholder,” Dunleavy said, joking, via ESPN’s Anthony Slater.
Warriors owner Joe Lacob and GM Mike Dunleavy appear to disagree on what to do with the pick 😅 pic.twitter.com/LGKd0hvQav
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) June 24, 2026
It’s unclear what side of things both Dunleavy and Lacob were on, but the Warriors got it together in time. They ended up selecting Michigan star Yaxel Lendeborg at No. 11 in the opening round of the draft. Lendeborg was one of three lottery picks taken on Tuesday night for the Wolverines.
A trade there instead, Dunleavy confirmed, never came close to happening.
“We felt like at No. 11, no matter what happened, we were gonna get a good player,” Dunleavy said. “As far as the discussion with Joe and I — I think at that point, there was probably some talk about trades and things like that. But ultimately, we were all in agreement to land on taking Yaxel.”
Lendeborg, 23, averaged 15.1 points and 6.8 rebounds with the Wolverines last season while helping them on their national championship run. He was the Big Ten’s Player of the Year, too. Teammates Aday Mara and Morez Johnson were also selected in the opening round on Tuesday night. Johnson, who the Dallas Mavericks took at No. 9, snapped a run in which eight former college freshmen were selected in a row.
He’ll get to join a Warriors group that missed the playoffs for a second time in three seasons and nearly split with longtime coach Steve Kerr at the end of the campaign. They later reached a deal with him to return, but the franchise is undoubtedly nearing the end of an era with stars Stephen Curry and Draymond Green nearing the end of their careers after the dynasty-level run they went on a little more than a decade ago.
And with the roster they have in place, Dunleavy said, Lendeborg will have the opportunity to make an impact right away next season “whether we want him to or not.” And his age, being older than most of the guys who were selected in the draft, isn’t an issue.
“He’s what, 23, almost 24? I’m not worried because he’s not 38,” Dunleavy said.
And as far as his dynamic with Lacob, Dunleavy said everything is fine and his boss was able to end the night in a great place. Lacob just loves basketball.
“He’s great,” Dunleavy said. “He’s so into it … I think he really focused in on the college stuff and watched it and knew a lot of these guys. I think coming out of tonight, he’s really happy.”