Just a few months after winning a National Championship, a few Michigan stars are hoping to see their dreams come true at the 2026 NBA Draft. Yaxel Lendeborg, Aday Mara, and Morez Johnson Jr. all have a serious chance of going in the first round of the draft, potentially even as a lottery pick, and head coach Dusty May has to be pretty proud.
Michigan was able to capture a National Championship with a starting five made up entirely of transfer portal players, and now three of those players have a chance to live out their dreams at the next level. Johnson, who had a chance to return to Michigan for another season, was asked about the draft class for the Wolverines this year, and his comments were spot on.
"It's insane," Johnson said. "We could all potentially be lottery picks. Shoutout to Dusty [May]."
Morez Johnson was asked what he thought about the Michigan Basketball draft class this year pic.twitter.com/vBclmVkkgS
— Swanky Wolverine (@swankywolverine) June 16, 2026
Johnson is right, May is a big reason to as to why these players could go so high in the draft this year. While Lendeborg was already slated to be a high pick in last year's draft, his time at Michigan helped rebuild his experience and resume even more, and now he is projected to be an even higher pick than he was last year.
The same goes for Mara and Johnson, who both excelled at Michigan this last season and were key parts to Michigan winning a basketball title since 1989. May did a great job taking in these transfers and helping them grow their talent instead, making them even more ready to move on to the NBA.
Michigan has a chance to have three NBA Lottery picks this NBA Draft
Johnson is probably the Michigan player slated to be taken the lowest in the NBA Draft, but is still projected to be a late lottery pick to mid-first round pick. Right now, Johnson's range of picks is anywhere from No. 15 to No. 25, but his two-way versatility is what makes him such a desirable pick to many NBA teams.
After Johnson, it is probably Lendeborg who will go in between Johnson and Mara. Lendeborg, who is on the older side for the draft, compared to a lot of young freshmen, has the chance to bring experience to whatever team he ends up with. Golden State seems to be a very interested team in Lendeborg as the national champion could be a great fill-in for when Steph Curry needs a breather on the court.
The final and most likely lottery pick for Michigan is Mara. The fact that Mara is going into the draft at 7-foot-3 certainly is a huge help to his draft stock. Mara also showed an ability not just to finish at the rim, but to have an elite shot -blocking ability in the paint.
The 2026 NBA Draft is less than a week away, with the first round taking place on June 23, starting at 8:00 p.m. ET in Brooklyn, New York. Fans can watch the draft on ABC, ESPN, and the ESPN app.
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