Yaxel Lendeborg Is a Best-Player Bet the Hawks Have a Case for at No. 8

Coming off a first-round exit, the Atlanta Hawks have an intriguing opportunity with the eighth pick in the 2026 NBA Draft to upgrade an already winning roster. One option that does not get discussed is Yaxel Lendeborg, who projects as a plug-and-play big wing who can make an impact on both offense and defense in a complementary way.

The Michigan forward is considered arguably the most polished two-way prospect in the class. He stands 6-foot-9, weighs 240 pounds, and has a 7-foot-4 wingspan. He has college experience guarding point guards and recently won a national title. He averaged 15.1 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 3.2 assists, with shooting splits of 52% overall, 37% beyond the arc, and 84% at the free-throw line. Talent-wise, he checks a lot of boxes. However, Atlanta faces a challenge, as it already struggled to find minutes for Zaccharie Risacher, the former No. 1 overall pick, and Jonathan Kuminga after acquiring him in the deadline deal. Adding another forward would further complicate the rotation, but it would create an opportunity to get creative on the trade market.

But a pick like this could actually loosen things up. Drafting Lendeborg would give the Hawks the cover to move aggressively off Risacher, who has been unable to earn a clear role despite being the first overall pick in 2024. It would also make it easier to pick up Kuminga's $24.3 million team option and flip it as salary-matching filler in a deal for help elsewhere, rather than keeping him around purely for the wing depth. A team is far more comfortable trading from a position once it has reinforced it on draft night, and a player as versatile as Lendeborg reinforces several spots at once.

Lendeborg views himself as the type of player who adapts to fit whatever his team needs to win games.

"When I get to my next team, they're already going to have their main scorer, their main defender," Lendeborg said. "I'm just going to try to fit in and take the load off some people and make it easy."

That's a useful trait for a Hawks team built around Jalen Johnson, Dyson Daniels, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker, the back-to-back Most Improved Player winners. Lendeborg wouldn't need touches to matter.

With several of the top guards in the draft likely available around No. 8, this pick could be used to position the Hawks to have a future replacement in place. Atlanta aims to re-sign CJ McCollum, who becomes an unrestricted free agent this summer at age 35. Even if he returns, the Hawks could benefit from drafting a young guard to develop behind him. McCollum averaged 18.7 points after the midseason trade and led Atlanta at times during the first-round series. Even selecting a big like 7-foot-3 Aday Mara could help add necessary size to a small frontcourt.

For a playoff team like the Hawks, drafting for need is often the route taken, since addressing roster holes is challenging under salary cap constraints. However, owning another team's top-10 pick, coming off a playoff appearance, presents a rare chance to get creative and upgrade a roster as they see fit.

Hawks Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Hawks. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.