Mavericks' Masai Ujiri hiring could push a controversial target up their draft board

With Masai Ujiri's history of drafting lengthy wings, Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg could quickly become a player that the Dallas Mavericks target with their lottery pick this summer. Dallas will likely select in the 8-10 range (depending on where they finish in this weekend's draft lottery), and if they don't jump into the top four, Lendeborg will likely at least be considered by Ujiri and company.

Yaxel Lendeborg fits Masai Ujiri's blueprint

Mavs fans have been pressing for the team to draft a guard for a while, and with where they're projected to pick, a new point guard to learn behind Kyrie Irving makes the most sense. Someone like Mikel Brown Jr., Kingston Flemings, or Brayden Burries would be an excellent apprentice, but Ujiri isn't attached to anyone on the current roster. He didn't draft, sign, or trade for any of the players who are on the team, and we could be in for some big changes this summer.

Ujiri will look at every aspect of the organization from top to bottom as the Mavericks' new president and alternate governor, and this is his team now. He could elect to draft a forward like Lendeborg early in the first round despite Dallas already having P.J. Washington and Cooper Flagg as his top wings, and the players he has drafted in the past prove this theory.

He drafted Pascal Siakam, OG Anunoby, Scottie Barnes, and Collin Murray-Boyles during his time with the Toronto Raptors, and each of these players is a forward that's over 6-foot-7 who brings versatility, length, and toughness. There are obviously exceptions to this rule, including the 6-foot-1 Malachi Flynn back in 2020, but Ujiri loves his rangy wings.

He values positional size and defensive versatility, and with Flagg already being one of the most disruptive off-ball defenders in the NBA, adding someone to play alongside him on the wing would help give the Mavericks an incredible new-age duo. AJ Dybantsa or Caleb Wilson would be unbelievable in Dallas. But if they land outside the top four, they'll have to settle with someone like Lendeborg if he's set on drafting a forward who hits his typical preferred archetype.

Like many of the forwards Ujiri drafted in Toronto, Lendeborg has size and length, an ability to switch on defense, and overall versatility. Standing at 6-foot-9 and weighing 240 pounds with a 7-foot-4 wingspan, he has the intimidating frame that would give the Mavericks a dangerous new duo in the frontcourt.

Lendeborg would be a monster in Dallas

He has the size to battle down low with big men and the mobility to switch onto guards on the perimeter. Dallas wouldn't have to worry about who he's playing with on either end of the floor, and his on-ball defense is just the start of what made him so dominant as a Wolverine.

He averaged 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game while shooting 37.2 percent from long range, and his year-over-year improvements as a shooter and strong free-throw shooting numbers show that he should project to be a good shooter at the next level. Ujiri has already said that he wants to put shooting around Flagg, and Lendeborg wouldn't let him down in that department.

He can also handle the ball when needed, and his connectivity would make him a strong fit next to Irving and Flagg. The only thing making him such a risk in the top 10 is his age, being that he'll be 24 years old when he makes his NBA debut, and the Mavericks have a choice to make.

Ujiri has shown time and time again that he loves wings who can switch on defense with good size, and Lendeborg embodies both traits. Will the Mavericks' need for guard depth behind Irving force them to look elsewhere, or will Ujiri's philosophy bring them to select Lendeborg?

Both outcomes have their pros and cons, and with Ujiri's history, Mavericks fans shouldn't rule out the possibility of Lendeborg coming to Dallas just yet.

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