Yaxel Lendeborg had great reaction to Dusty May passing on him for his Michigan teammate

Nov 25, 2025; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Michigan Wolverines forward Yaxel Lendeborg (23) reacts during the first half in a 2025 Players Era Festival group play game against the Auburn Tigers at Michelob ULTRA Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Yaxel Lendeborg may not be returning any of Dusty May’s calls anytime soon.

The NBA and college basketball worlds collided on Monday when news broke that the Dallas Mavericks were hiring May to be the team’s next head coach. The news prompted Lendeborg, who came into Tuesday’s NBA draft as a projected lottery pick, to joke that May needed to draft him with the Mavericks’ No. 9 pick.

“I’m very happy for him,” Lendeborg said. “I’d be way happier for him if he suddenly takes me at 9. He needs to draft me. Draft me, please.”

Yaxel wants the Mavericks to draft him at No. 9 to play for Dusty May, his coach at Michigan 😂

"Draft me, please." 😭 pic.twitter.com/8bSo4MBnlH
— ESPN (@espn) June 23, 2026

The former Michigan coach did end up drafting one of his Wolverines’ stars from the national title team — but it wasn’t Lendeborg. Instead, May green-lit the Mavericks taking Morez Johnson Jr.

Lendeborg, who went to the Golden State Warriors two picks later, wasn’t happy about May passing on him in favor of Johnson.

“I’m definitely mad at Dusty because we know who his favorite is now,” Lendeborg joked to reporters.

“But I’m happy it was Morez. If it was anybody other than a Michigan guy, I might’ve blocked Coach, for real. I’m super happy for Morez. He definitely deserves it. He’s going to be a great pro.”

Lendeborg was the best player on the May-coached Michigan team that cut up the nets during the most recent NCAA Tournament. He led the team in scoring with averages of 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists. But Johnson and 7’3″ center Aday Mara were arguably just as integral to the Wolverines’ championship run.

The huge knock on Lendeborg is that he’ll turn 24 before the start of next season. May might have felt that drafting a 20-year-old Johnson makes more sense when the Mavericks’ best player doesn’t turn 20 until December.

It’s not even clear if the Warriors themselves unanimously wanted Lendeborg. Golden State team owner Joe Lacob and GM Mike Dunleavy Jr. appeared to be arguing just before the Warriors selected Lendeborg.