The Michigan basketball team made another big splash in the transfer portal over the weekend, landing the top overall player, according to 247 Sports, thanks to a commitment from Yaxel Lendeborg.
Lendeborg spent the past two seasons playing for UAB. He's also exploring the NBA and it seems like his college decision is more of a backup plan.
The 6-foot-9 big man is projected as a first-round pick. He's a two-time American Defensive Player of the Year and was First-Team All-AAC after scoring more than 17 points per game and avearging 11 rebounds, which led the conference.
It's a massive commitment for Michigan basketball. The only problem is that Lendeborg told a local newspaper that there's an 80-percent chance he'll wind up in the NBA.
Keeping that in mind, another name has emerged for Michigan basketball, Aday Mara, a 7-foot-3 center who played the past two seasons at UCLA. The former top-100 recruit started nine games in two seasons but averaged 6.4 points per game in 2024-25, in addition to four rebounds per game and 1.6 blocks in 13 minutes.
The block rate of 17 percent stands out. That's incredible for playing just 13 minutes a game. Mara would also be a great replacement for Vlad Goldin since he shoots 59 percent from the field.
Michigan basketball added Morez Johnson from Illinois who could certainly play some minutes at the center or power forward positions. Johnson isn't reliable post-up scorer though. Mara has that ability and based on his production in limited minutes, he could excel in a starting role.
According to Jamie Shaw of On3.com, Michigan basketball is "making a push" to add Mara. That report was on Sunday. There is a lot of other positive buzz on the Michigan side of things, and it wouldn't be shocking if a commitment were imminent.