The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1546004
AUGUST 2026 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 69 ❱ MICHIGAN IN THE PROS to be taken this year, and that was even a surprise to May, who was at the draft in Brooklyn representing both U-M and the Mavericks, which had announced him as the franchise's new head coach only hours earlier. "I did not see it coming at all," John- son said. "And now, for him to be my coach again, I'm excited. It's insane. We just won a national championship to- gether. I can't wait to get there and go to work with him again and ultimately win again. "This moment means a lot to me. I've been dreaming about this since I was a little kid. Dallas has always been a place I wanted to go. It's insane that I'm actu- ally going to Dallas. I'm very grateful for the opportunity, and I'm excited to do it with my coach. We won together this past season, and I'm looking forward to winning with him and the Mavs when I get there." After transferring in from Illinois, Johnson averaged 13.1 points and 7.3 re- bounds in 25.1 minutes per game as a sophomore for the Maize and Blue last season. He made the All-Big Ten De- fensive Team, was All-Big Ten second team from the coaches and third team by the media, and also made the NCAA All-Tournament Team (2026). Lendeborg, meanwhile, has joined a team with an older core, led by 38-year- old point guard Steph Curry. Lendeborg will be 24 when he starts his first year — much older than most rookies — but the Warriors are looking to push for an- other title now, making it a nice fit. "Basically just being about expec- tations, what he expects out of me," Lendeborg said of his first conversa- tions with head coach Steve Kerr. "He doesn't normally play rookies as much. He has a history of that. But the way the team is looking right now, I'm going to have a really good chance to play, maybe even start. "So, just having that hope definitely gives me extra motivation to go out there and be one of the new guys that actually does that, actually comes in and builds a reputation right away."' A first-team All-American and the Big Ten Player of the Year in his sixth season of college basketball and first at Michi- gan, Lendeborg averaged 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists per contest. Mara is headed to Oklahoma City, which won the NBA title in 2025 and lost to the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference Finals this past season. He fits in as a rim-protecting defender who has a lot of upside offensively on a team with all sorts of talent and depth. "That's exciting," Mara said. "Ob- viously after winning the champion- ship with Michigan, you want more. So it's great to be in a contender team like OKC. But I'm excited — excited to be there to start working and help the team as much as I can." The Zaragoza, Spain, native im- pressed at the NBA Combine in Chi- cago, standing 7-foot-3 barefoot, with a 7-6 wingspan and 9-9 standing reach. His standing reach is tied with Mark Williams for the second-longest in combine history, behind only Tacko Fall. Mara spent one season at Michi- MICHIGAN'S NBA DRAFT PICKS 2013-26 Year Player Round Overall Pick Team 2026 Morez Johnson Jr. 1 9 Dallas Mavericks 2026 Yaxel Lendeborg 1 11 Golden State Warriors 2026 Aday Mara 1 12 Oklahoma City Thunder 2025 Danny Wolf 1 27 Brooklyn Nets 2023 Jett Howard 1 11 Orlando Magic 2023 Kobe Bufkin 1 15 Atlanta Hawks 2022 Caleb Houstan 2 32 Orlando Magic 2022 Moussa Diabate 2 43 Los Angeles Clippers 2021 Franz Wagner 1 8 Orlando Magic 2021 Isaiah Livers 2 42 Detroit Pistons 2019 Jordan Poole 1 28 Golden State Warriors 2019 Ignas Brazdeikis 2 47 New York Knicks 2018 Moritz Wagner 1 25 Los Angeles Lakers 2017 DJ Wilson 1 17 Milwaukee Bucks 2016 Caris LeVert 1 20 Brooklyn Nets 2014 Nik Stauskas 1 8 Sacramento Kings 2014 Mitch McGary 1 21 Oklahoma City Thunder 2014 Glenn Robinson III 2 40 Minnesota Timberwolves 2013 Trey Burke 1 9 Utah Jazz 2013 Tim Hardaway Jr. 1 24 New York Knicks Michigan basketball forward Yaxel Lendeborg was the 11th overall pick in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft — the second of three Wolverines chosen as lottery picks. PHOTO BY LON HORWEDEL