The Golden State Warriors had options when the NBA draft reached the No. 11 pick.
They also had a player they did not want to lose.
ESPN’s Anthony Slater reported Thursday that Golden State rejected separate trade-down offers from the Charlotte Hornets and Oklahoma City Thunder before selecting Michigan forward Yaxel Lendeborg.
The conversations continued until the final moments.
Charlotte offered the No. 14 pick and a future draft selection, according to Slater. Oklahoma City proposed moving from No. 12 to No. 11 in exchange for future second-round compensation.
General manager Mike Dunleavy Jr. listened. Warriors owner Joe Lacob was ready to choose.
That tension helped explain the animated exchange between Lacob and Dunleavy caught by ESPN’s cameras while Golden State was on the clock.
“As Dunleavy was laying out the various offers and the broadcast flipped to them, team sources said Lacob was expressing a desire to finalize the selection for the player they all wanted in Lendeborg,” Slater wrote.
The Warriors stayed put.
Charlotte later selected German forward Hannes Steinbach at No. 14. Oklahoma City used the next pick on 7-foot-3 Michigan center Aday Mara, Lendeborg’s college teammate.
Golden State left with the player positioned directly behind Brayden Burries on its internal draft board.
Brayden Burries Was Warriors’ Preferred Target
The Warriors had hoped Burries might slide to them.
The Arizona guard visited Golden State’s facility the week before the draft and had support throughout the organization. Coach Steve Kerr, an Arizona alumnus, was among his strongest advocates.
But Milwaukee changed the board.
The Bucks entered the draft with the No. 10 and No. 13 picks after the Giannis Antetokounmpo trade. That allowed them to select Burries at No. 10 while still landing Tennessee wing Nate Ament three spots later.
Golden State received an indication around the eighth pick that Burries would not reach No. 11. Still, Slater reported that an “audible groan” came from Kerr when Milwaukee made the selection official.
Lendeborg quickly became the pivot.
The Warriors viewed the 6-foot-9 forward as the next player on their collective board. Lacob saw little reason to risk losing him by moving down, even with Charlotte offering an additional future asset.
“He’s so into it,” Dunleavy said of Lacob after the draft.
The exchange was spirited, but the decision was not rooted in a split over Lendeborg. Dunleavy wanted to maximize the pick’s value. Lacob wanted to secure the player before another team could intervene.
Yaxel Lendeborg Quickly Validated Golden State’s Decision
Getty The Warriors rejected two draft-night trade offers before selecting Yaxel Lendeborg, betting on the Summer League MVP over extra draft assets.
Golden State’s conviction has aged well through the first stage of Lendeborg’s career.
The 24-year-old entered the league as one of the draft’s most NBA-ready prospects after leading Michigan to the national championship and earning Big Ten Player of the Year honors.
He then delivered an immediate encore.
Lendeborg won NBA Summer League MVP while leading the Warriors to the Las Vegas title, reinforcing the belief that his experience, physical maturity and two-way versatility could translate quickly.
That mattered to a team with little time to wait.
The Warriors are still attempting to build around Stephen Curry while Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody recover from knee injuries. Their need for immediate help made Lendeborg’s readiness more valuable than a future pick or a modest collection of second-round assets.
Golden State also had explored a far more expensive use of the selection before draft night. Boston sought the No. 11 pick as part of a package involving four first-rounders and a future swap for Jaylen Brown. The Warriors declined that price, and Brown eventually landed in Philadelphia.
The Hornets and Thunder offered less dramatic alternatives once Golden State went on the clock.
The Warriors passed on those, too.
Dunleavy explored every opening. Lacob pushed to stop negotiating. In the end, Golden State trusted its board and selected the player it believed could help now.
Lendeborg’s first summer suggested that decision may have been worth more than the draft capital the Warriors left on the table.
Warriors Rejected 2 Draft-Night Trade Offers Before Landing Yaxel Lendeborg