On the heels of a national championship and the best season in program history, Michigan is expected to make history once again on Tuesday night, with the chance to have three players selected in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft.
The players we’re talking about are Yaxel Lendeborg, Morez Johnson Jr., and Aday Mara. With just over 24 hours to go until the draft commences, let’s see where some of the web’s latest mock drafts have the former Wolverine stars heading.
ESPN – Jeremy Woo
Aday Mara – 11th overall (Golden State Warriors)
Morez Johnson Jr. – 12th overall (Oklahoma City Thunder)
Yaxel Lendeborg – 15th overall (Chicago Bulls)
Jeremy Woo of ESPN starts things off on Monday morning with Aday Mara and Morez Johnson Jr. going back-to-back near the end of the lottery. Mara can slot in right away as the Warriors’ starting center, while Johnson joins the big-man rotation and likely will have championship aspirations in year one with the Thunder. Yaxel Lendeborg, meanwhile, can also compete for a starting spot with the Bulls and would likely be something of a culture-setter for one of the younger teams in the association.
Yahoo Sports – Kevin O’Connor
Aday Mara – 11th overall (Golden State Warriors)
Yaxel Lenebrog – 12th overall (Oklahoma City Thunder)
Morez Johnson Jr. – 14th overall (Charlotte Hornets)
One of the most prominent voices in the NBA Draft space, Kevin O’Connor, sends Aday Mara to the Warriors as well. He also sends a Wolverine to Oklahoma City with Yaxel Lendeborg, whose age and development likely fit the Thunder’s timeline pretty well. Morez Johnson Jr. heads to Charlotte, where he can compete for minutes in an inexperienced rotation of big men.
USA Today – Brian Kalbrosky
Aday Mara – 12th overall (Oklahoma City Thunder)
Morez Johnson Jr. – 14th overall (Charlotte Hornets)
Yaxel Lendeborg – 16th overall (Memphis Grizzlies)
Michigan just misses out on having three lottery picks in Kalbrosky’s draft from Saturday afternoon. The Thunder could use another big man after Chet Holmgren’s playoff struggles and a salary crunch that leaves Isaiah Hartenstein’s future in doubt. Similarly, Johnson would fit like a glove in a light and inexperienced big man rotation with the Hornets. With Lendeborg going to Memphis, he’d likely be one of the Grizzlies’ best players immediately, with Ja Morant a trade candidate this offseason.
CBS Sports – Cameron Salerno
Aday Mara – 9th overall (Oklahoma City Thunder via projected trade with Dallas)
Yaxel Lendeborg – 11th overall (Golden State Warriors)
Morez Johnson Jr. – 14th overall (Charlotte Hornets)
Cameron Salerno of CBS projects the Wolverines will get three players selected in the lottery. Mara and Johnson end up in Oklahoma City and Charlotte once again, respectively. Lendeborg, however, ends up with the veteran-laden Golden State Warriors. With a need for the Warriors to get younger, it’s unclear how Lendeborg fits their timeline, but he’d still play a role in the rotation early on behind the likes of Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green.
SB Nation – Ricky O’Donnell
Yaxel Lendeborg – 11th overall (Golden State Warriors)
Morez Johnson Jr. – 12th overall (Oklahoma City Thunder)
Aday Mara – 15th overall (Chicago Bulls)
In Sunday’s mock draft from SB Nation’s Ricky O’Donnell, the Warriors select the first Wolverine of the night with Yaxel Lendeborg. The Thunder once again go after a Michigan big man, but this time it’s Morez Johnson Jr. as more of a power forward than a traditional center like Mara. As for Mara, this is the lowest we see him in the latest round of mock drafts, falling just outside the lottery at 15 to a Bulls team that has plenty of guard depth, but almost nothing in the front court.
