Projected NBA First-Rounder Picks Michigan Over Entering Draft

For an aspiring professional basketball player, getting selected in the first round of the NBA draft is more than just an honor. It comes with millions of dollars in guaranteed money.

So it was a surprise on Tuesday when ESPN reported that projected late first-round pick Yaxel Lendeborg will withdraw from the 2025 NBA draft to return to college and transfer to Michigan. Lendeborg, who played his last two years at the University of Alabama in Birmingham, was No. 26 on ESPN’s NBA draft projections and was No. 28 in The Athletic’s mock draft in March. 

The 22-year-old is theoretically risking a four-year contract worth more than $14 million with two years, $5.6 million guaranteed. The last pick of the first round of the 2025 NBA draft is expected to sign for $14.1 million, according to Spotrac.

It’s unclear how much in NIL (name, image, and likeness) money Lendeborg will receive from the Wolverines, but there is a notion that college programs could begin to offer deals that would rival NBA salaries, given that projected 2026 top pick AJ Dybantsa reportedly received $7 million per year from BYU. While Lendeborg was the No. 1 projected big man in the transfer portal per ESPN and is expected to start for Michigan, he likely does not command close to as much as Dybantsa.

What makes leaving for the NBA immediately enticing for top prospects like Dybantsa and projected 2025 No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg is that they can get to their second contract as soon as possible. Those deals can be worth hundreds of millions of dollars. 

But for potential late first-round picks like Lendeborg, there is still a risk of falling out of the first round, where contracts are no longer guaranteed. Even if he stays in Round 1, the likelihood of a massive second contract isn’t a guarantee, either. For example, Kansas center Udoka Azubuike, who was selected No. 27 in the 2020 NBA draft, earned $6.3 million over four years in the NBA but has since moved overseas.

According to ESPN, Lendeborg’s background played a factor in choosing to stay a little longer in college to mold his skills before going pro. The Dominican American player played just 11 high school games in his senior year and said he was “more into video games than basketball” for most of his life. 

Other Withdrawals

Lendeborg wasn’t the only player to withdraw from the 2025 NBA draft Tuesday. 

ESPN reported Tuesday morning that Milos Uzan will also return to college, staying with Houston, which he helped lead to the national championship game last year. The 22-year-old guard was a projected second-round pick.

Hours later, Australian center Alex Condon, who was also projected for the second round, announced he’s withdrawing his name from the 2025 NBA draft. Condon helped Florida defeat Uzan and the Cougars to win the national championship last month alongside Walter Clayton Jr., who ESPN has listed at No. 27 in this year’s NBA draft class.