The Golden State Warriors made a notable addition by selecting Yaxel Lendeborg with the 11th overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. While most have praised the Michigan forward’s arrival, former Michigan forward Draymond Green had some words for the Warriors’ rookie.
During a recent episode of “The Draymond Green Show,” the Warriors’ forward called out Yaxel Lendeborg for boldly claiming that the veteran didn’t respond to his texts. Infuriated by the 23-year-old’s antics, Green hilariously sounded off on him, stating:
“Yaxel’s been f–king lying. It’s the Michigan way. This guy texted me. I text back within 30 seconds. This f–king guy goes in an interview and says, ‘Oh man, Steph reached out, texted Draymond, still waiting on a response back.’ You f–king liar, Yaxel.”
By the looks of it, Lendeborg has already begun building rapport with his veterans. After his infamous comment about hating Stephen Curry as a youngster, the Warriors’ rookie has now gone after Draymond Green. Unfortunately, this may backfire on him, as Green continued:
“You know what I had to do, I had to expose the young fella a bit. We’re [the Warriors] not really a team very big on like, rookie hazing. Like, it’s just not something that we do a ton of, but we can pick that back up.”
“It can get intense, start having more and more rookie duties,” Green added. “All of a sudden, you’re on a 100-mile drive to Best Buy to get a PlayStation 5… So let’s tread lightly, Yaxel. Tread very lightly.”
Draymond Green’s comment comes across as a playful warning, but it could be a great starting point for the rookie. With the 23-year-old expecting to embrace a starting role immediately upon joining the team, it will be intriguing to see how he pairs with Golden State’s veteran core.
Draymond Green Likely To Return To The Warriors
Although Draymond Green hinted at hazing the Warriors’ rookie, there was a more important takeaway from his warning. His outlook on the future implies he will return to Golden State for the 2026-27 season.
Green notably declined his $27.7 million player option right before the free agency window opened, effectively making him an unrestricted free agent. Theoretically, this would allow the veteran forward to join another team for the upcoming season, but the consensus was that he would be taking a pay cut to give the Warriors some flexibility to build their roster.
For the most part, the Warriors have benefited from this. With a considerable amount coming off the books, the front office has the luxury to explore making some roster additions. Unfortunately, it may not be enough to acquire their priority targets.
Despite Green’s move, Golden State is still $19.3 million above the cap, and only $24.7 million below the first apron. With 12 players on the roster (two spots currently occupied by two-way players), the Warriors may not have as much freedom as they’d hoped for.
Draymond Green’s pay cut, given the current cap situation, would have to be significant. If his new contract is worth anything above $17-$18 million annually, Golden State may be forced to fill out the remaining roster spots by adding players on minimum deals.
