Kentucky missed on a major transfer portal target on Saturday.
According to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, UAB transfer forward Yaxel Lendeborg has committed to Michigan. Kentucky wanted Lendeborg. So did Auburn. So did Alabama. So did Louisville. But Lendeborg told Givony that Dusty May’s past successes with versatile big men was a big part of his decision to pledge to the Wolverines.
Lendeborg, viewed by several outlets as the top player in the transfer portal, has also declared for the NBA Draft while maintaining his college eligibility. He told Givony he is focused on the NBA Draft and hopes to secure a multi-year contract from an NBA team. Absent such an assurance, he’ll return to the collegiate level.
“I’m focused on the draft process and making the NBA right now,” Lendeborg told Givony. “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.”
The deadline to withdraw from the NBA Draft is 10 days after the Draft Combine, which is scheduled to take place in Chicago from May 11-18.
Lendeborg is a 6-foot-9, 240-pound forward from Pennsauken, New Jersey. He spent 2 seasons at the junior college level and then 2 seasons at UAB. In his first season with the Blazers, he was named the American Conference Defensive Player of the Year and selected to the All-AAC First Team.
In 2024-25, he repeated as the AAC’s Defensive Player of the Year, earned another first-team all-conference selection, and was named the AAC Tournament MVP after helping UAB advance to the AAC Tournament title game.
Lendeborg led the Blazers this past season in points (17.7), rebounds (11.4), assists (4.2), steals (1.7), and blocked shots (1.8). He shot 53.2% from the field, 35.7% from the 3-point line, and 75.7% from the foul line. He ended the year with a PER of 29.8, which ranked seventh nationally.
In helping UAB to the NIT quarterfinals, Lendeborg joined Larry Bird as the only 2 players in Division I history to have 600-plus points, 400-plus rebounds, and 150-plus assists in a single season.
Within coach Mark Pope’s system, Lendeborg would have been a sure-fire star in the SEC. He’s talented enough to be an all-conference player in any of the high-major leagues, but Kentucky was hopeful to build around him. In recent days, reports suggested Kentucky wasn’t leading the race but wasn’t yet out of it.
Now that the Cats have officially missed on another portal target, some serious angst is starting to develop within BBN.
Pope has major pieces of his rotation to replace this offseason. Four of his 5 starters have exhausted their eligibility, as have Koby Brea and Ansley Almonor. Point guard Kerr Kriisa has also entered the transfer portal.
Kentucky has been in on a number of transfer recruits but has only 1 known commit for next season—former Tulane wing Kam Williams. Kentucky does have a pair of 5-star high school prospects signed to NLIs, as well as a high 4-star, but the Wildcats have been active in the portal all the same.
Pope went 24-12 in his first season with Kentucky, leading the Wildcats to their first Sweet 16 appearance since 2019.
Kentucky reportedly misses out on another transfer portal target Saturday Down South.
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