Wolverine Digest

Michigan basketball or NBA Draft: Where Danny Wolf and Yaxel Lendeborg are projected in '25 NBA Draft

Will Michigan basketball get either player on campus next year?
Trent Knoop|
Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

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Michigan WolverinesUAB Blazers

The Michigan men's basketball team has a couple of players it's waiting decisions on. Wolverines' forward Danny Wolf hasn't made an official decision, but head coach Dusty May expects Wolf to chase his dreams and head to the NBA Draft. The 7-foot forward was Michigan's main playmaker this past season in a do-it-all role. Wolf averaged 13.2 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 3.2 assists. The big man from Yale can create his own shot, crash the boards, and facilitate using his passing skills.

To replace Wolf, Michigan went out and landed a pair of big men via the transfer portal. The prize of the entire portal was UAB's big man Yaxel Lendeborg. But the skilled big might not ever step foot on campus in Ann Arbor. That's because he is a projected first-round pick by a ton of draft analysts. Lendeborg averaged 17.7 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists this year for the Blazers. Lendeborg is looking for a guaranteed contract from an NBA team, but if he doesn't feel like that's a given, he will be playing for May and Michigan next season.

In ESPN's latest NBA mock draft, Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo have both players going in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft.

Danny Wolf: No. 19 to the Washington Wizards

Wolf delivered as one of the most impactful transfers in college basketball, making a successful leap from Yale to Michigan and leading the Wolverines to the Big Ten tournament title and Sweet 16. He's unlike any other player in this draft class, with legitimate perimeter versatility and feel at his size at 7-foot, but there are questions about his athleticism, shooting and defensive translation to the NBA game.
This was a positive season for Wolf, who proved he could anchor a winning power-conference team that relied on him heavily, but his unorthodox profile will make him a situational fit for certain NBA teams. The Wizards are rife with draft capital and could take a swing on Wolf.
Woo

Yaxel Lendeborg: No. 27 overall to the Brooklyn Nets

Lendeborg is testing the draft process, weighing a move to Michigan next season versus the potential for securing guaranteed money in the draft. With his ability to handle, pass, shoot and rebound, the 6-9 power forward has the two-way versatility and skill that NBA teams covet.
Brooklyn, with its four first-round picks, could promise a player such as Lendeborg that it would select him to ensure he stays in the draft. He has more upside than a typical 22-year-old because he has been playing basketball seriously for only five years, including only 11 varsity games in high school.
Givony

- Enjoy more Michigan Wolverines coverage on Michigan Wolverines On SI -

More Michigan News:

Stay or go: Dusty May shares NBA Draft expectations for Michigan basketball F Danny Wolf

Dusty May 'expects' a Michigan basketball veteran to return to Ann Arbor in 2025-26

Dusty May speaks on Tre Donaldson transferring: 'It's complicated on a number of levels'

For additional coverage of University of Michigan athletics:

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Trent Knoop
TRENT KNOOP

Trent began writing and covering Michigan athletics back in 2020. He became a credentialed member of the media in 2021. Trent began writing with Sports Illustrated in 2023 and became the Managing Editor for Michigan Wolverines On SI during the 2025 football season. Trent also serves as the Publisher of Baylor Bears on SI. His other bylines have appeared on Maryland on SI, Wisconsin on SI, and across the USA TODAY Sports network. Trent’s love of sports and being able to tell stories to fans is what made him get into writing.

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