Decision week has arrived for Yaxel Lendeborg.
The UAB transfer, who has committed to Michigan basketball while simultaneously pursuing his professional aspirations, has until 11:59 p.m. ET on Wednesday, May 28 to withdraw from the NBA Draft process in order to maintain his NCAA eligibility.
At the NBA Combine, which ended May 18, Lendeborg indicated he would use the entirety of that available time before making his stay-or-go decision.
Last season, Lendeborg averaged 17.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.7 steals per game at UAB. He's a two-time AAC Defensive Player of the Year and first-team All-AAC and considered among the best bigs in the country.
Here's what to know:
Yaxel Lendeborg wants a guaranteed NBA contract
As he told ESPN when committed to Michigan, Lendeborg is pursuing a guaranteed NBA contract.
"I'm focused on the draft process and making the NBA right now," Lendeborg said in April. "I want a guaranteed contract. That's the biggest thing, make sure I am in a good spot. I would prefer to play college basketball in Ann Arbor than be in and out of the G League on a two-way. I want to find a safe spot."
First-round NBA Draft selections earn four-year contracts in the NBA, though players selected early in the second round often also sign multi-year deals.
The NBA Combine seems to have bolstered Lendeborg's chances. The UAB star raised eyebrows with his measurements — one analyst called him "perhaps the biggest winner anthro-wise" — and impressed enough in the scrimmages to prove he belongs in the first-round conversation.
ESPN's latest NBA mock draft predicts Yaxel Lendeborg would go 26th if he stays in the Draft:
"Lendeborg faced one of the highest-profile, stay-or-go decisions among prospects at the combine, measuring quite well and turning in a solid, if not spectacular, showing in scrimmages, with Michigan coach Dusty May and members of his staff in Chicago to support him," wrote Jeremy Woo. "NBA teams are aware Lendeborg has a multimillion-dollar NIL package to attend Michigan next season, and it wasn't clear by the end of the week as to whether he had done enough to secure the type of guarantee that might keep him in the draft."
Other recent mock drafts have him at 27th overall (The Ringer), 31st (SI), 23rd (NBADraft.net) and 24th (CBS).
"I am more in between than I can be, to be honest," Lendeborg said earlier this month. "I took the visit to Michigan. The visit was amazing and I really loved it. I would love to play there. And then the NBA thing is just the all be all."
A year at Michigan could serve Yaxel Lendeborg well
Financially, Lendeborg would do fine at Michigan: NIL opportunities allow the program "to be competitive with a second-round contract," as Dusty May told The Michigan Insider earlier this spring.
And a year with the Wolverines could help Lendeborg prove that his stat-stuffing performances at UAB weren't the result of facing inferior competition. Prior to his two seasons with the Blazers, Lendeborg played two years at the JUCO level. Before that, he played just 11 games as a high school senior. So, despite his impressive numbers and scrimmage performances at the NBA Combine, franchises could still want to see more from Lendeborg.
During a season at Michigan, Lendeborg would play in one of the best conferences in college basketball in addition to testing himself against a competitive non-conference schedule. And Dusty May can point to Danny Wolf's success in a season with the Wolverines as proof a one-year commitment can markedly elevate your NBA stock.
Finally, Michigan and Lendeborg both feel his inclusion would turn the Wolverines into national contenders.
"I set goals for myself. I go to Michigan, I would want to win Big Ten Player of the Year. And at least get us to the Final Four. And if not, it's going to be a bad year for me," Lendeborg said.
It's clear Lendeborg is seriously considering Michigan. He visited campus earlier this offseason, and at the NBA Combine told reporters he was "definitely equal" when weighing his future.
"I'm super stuck, quicksand, whatever you want to call it. I'm stuck in between for sure," he said then.
What have Michigan coaches said about Yaxel Lendeborg?
Because Lendeborg is not signed, Michigan cannot comment directly on Lendeborg. Speaking on "Defend the Block" earlier this offseason, U-M assistant Mike Boynton Jr. offered the coaching staff's general approach to accepting the commitment from a talented player who is also considering the NBA:
"Here's what we said as a staff: We wanted to be able to meet the expectations that we've set so far after one year and be able to continue to compete for Big Ten championships and make runs in NCAA tournament. And so we wanted to set our roster where our base was that," Boynton said.
"And then beyond that, could we add someone who could take us to another level and who could potentially take us from a team who you're talking about as a contender to possibly being a favorite to win the Big Ten or somewhat expected to at least make the Sweet Sixteen and maybe possibly be playing beyond that and competing for a national championship? And we identified probably five or six guys, and we talked to several of them, but there was one particular that we thought could really move the needle. And so it's in the wait and see.
"It's a little bit of a calculated risk on one hand, but again, the key was the first part was setting a team and a roster even without that we thought still could compete at a really, really high level and give us a chance to replicate some of the things we did this year, continue to build our fans' interest in Michigan basketball, continue to fill Crisler as often as possible, and then obviously build on for the next class, for the next group of guys to see what Michigan can do. And now we go back into the recruiting cycle and do it all over again next year."