The offseason wins for Michigan coach Dusty May carried over into the week of the deadline to withdraw from the 2025 NBA Draft. Former UAB star Yaxel Lendeborg — the No. 1 ranked player in CBS Sports’ transfer rankings — announced he was bypassing the draft and instead returning to school for the 2025-26 college basketball season.

Lendeborg, a projected first-round pick in two recent mock drafts by CBS Sports, will headline one of the premier transfer portal classes in college basketball, which ranks second behind St. John’s in the 247Sports recruiting rankings. 

With Lendeborg official in the fold, it raises exceptions for a team that reached the Sweet 16 and won the Big Ten Tournament title in Year 1 of May’s tenure. Lendeborg received a NIL package believed to be in the neighborhood of $3 million to return to school, sources indicated to CBS Sports. 

That price tag may be hefty, but the return on investment of luring Lendeborg out of the draft waters could be well worth the investment for a team ready to take the next step into national title contention. Michigan opened at 25-1 (12th-best odds) on FanDuel during the first week of April to win the 2026 national title. Just under two months later, the Wolverines have the fifth-best odds (17-1) with Florida, Louisville, Kansas and St. John’s to cut down the nets next spring.

When May accepted the job at Michigan last offseason, he was walking into a situation where a once proud program had fallen on tough times. The Wolverines went 8-24 in Juwan Howard’s final season, their worst mark since the early 1980s. No team in NCAA history (since the Sweet 16 was introduced in 1975) had ever lost as many games in one season and reached the second weekend of the tournament the following year.

It’s no secret that the key to Michigan’s success last year was its towering frontcourt of Danny Wolf and Vlad Goldin — two transfers who had career years during their lone season with the Wolverines. Michigan was the only team in the country last season that had two 7-footers in its starting lineup regularly.

That unique lineup didn’t click right away, but when things came together around the time of Big Ten play, Goldin and Wolf were an unstoppable force. Wolf led the Big Ten with 15 double-doubles, while Goldin finished with eight. The player who finished as the Division l leader in double-doubles was Lendeborg, who recorded 26 double-doubles in 37 games. He averaged 17.7 points and 11.4 rebounds, which ranked fourth in Division l basketball.

Projected first-round pick Yaxel Lendeborg to withdraw from 2025 NBA Draft, will transfer to Michigan

Shanna McCarriston

May is thinking big — literally and metaphorically — with his transfer portal haul. Michigan added Illinois forward Morez Johnson Jr., who averaged 7.0 points and 6.7 rebounds in a reserve role. The Wolverines also added one of the tallest players in the sport in UCLA big man Aday Mara, who is an imposing presence at 7-foot-3.

Could May be thinking big again with this lineup? It’s possible. Lendeborg is a lock to start at one of the forward positions, while Johnson or Mara could slide into the starting lineup next to him. Mara only averaged 13.0 minutes per game at UCLA, but his impact went beyond the box score. The former highly touted prospect from the 2023 recruiting cycle recorded 1.6 blocks and shot 59% from the floor.

Why Lendeborg withdrawing makes sense for both parties

There is no such thing as a guarantee in the NBA Draft. It doesn’t mean promises still don’t happen from NBA teams and decision-makers. Players who are ringe first-round picks often rely on promises to determine whether to run it back in college or stay in the NBA Draft. The volatility of how the first round of the NBA Draft plays out sometimes results in those promises being broken.

Had Lendeborg stayed in the draft, he would’ve likely been a fringe first-round pick or an early second-round selection. Younger players — such as one-and-done stars — declare for the NBA Draft with the idea of being one step closer to a second contract, which often results in a major payday down the line.

With NIL being such a key factor in draft decisions over the last five years, players — who aren’t guaranteed lottery picks or mid-first-round selections — often find themselves with opportunities to make more money at the college level. One recent example is Texas Tech star JT Toppin, who didn’t even go through the draft process. If Toppin declared for the NBA Draft, he would’ve likely been in the same boat as Lendeborg as a potential first-round pick. 

Toppin will earn approximately $4 million in NIL money this season with the Red Raiders.

For more context on why players run it back, here is a chart of how much each rookie between picks No. 20 and 30 will make during Year 1 of their rookie scale contract. All data is via Spotrac.

Lendeborg can improve his draft stock by having another standout season at Michigan. He will be the face of one of the top Big Ten contenders who can make another leap toward national title contention. Lendeborg will be 23 during the 2026 NBA Draft, but a one-year difference won’t matter much if he can produce at the Big Ten level.

It may be a risk not taking the “guaranteed” NBA money by opting out of the 2025 NBA Draft. Lendeborg is betting on himself to improve his stock in the early-to-mid first-round range by coming back to school. By all accounts, in a year from now, it could become a win-win for all parties if his stock improves and Michigan takes another jump.

In the short term, Lendeborg’s addition gives Michigan a true identity and direction heading into next season. Michigan was patient while Lendeborg went through the pre-draft process — even when his stock was increasing as a potential first-round pick. The patience paid off, and the Wolverines might have a future All-American to show for it.

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