Yaxel Lendeborg’s summer league surge is giving the Warriors a fresh talking point in one of the offseason’s loudest debates: whether Jimmy Butler should be moved.
Through three games, Lendeborg has looked less like a rookie finding his footing and more like a player ready to matter right away. That matters in Golden State, where the front office has spent the offseason weighing Butler’s future and searching for ways to reshape the roster.
The 11th overall pick kept the momentum rolling Thursday in Las Vegas, backing up his strong work at the California Classic with another big performance against the Dallas Mavericks. In the Warriors’ 101-90 win, he put up 21 points, 10 rebounds and six assists while shooting 8-of-13 from the field and 2-of-4 from 3-point range.
That kind of production has started to turn heads beyond the box score. Yahoo Sports’ Kevin O’Connor even floated the idea that Lendeborg could help fill the same kind of role Butler occupies, making the injured 6x All-Star easier to move if Golden State decides to swing big.
O’Connor has pushed the Warriors to trade Butler and the necessary draft capital to the Washington Wizards for Anthony Davis, a move he believes could also lead to LeBron James and Draymond Green signing with the team in free agency.
“You got to do that. Not just because of those names, but also because of what Yaxel Lendenborg has been showing this entire month for the Warriors,” O’Connor said.
One summer league run is hardly enough to settle a decision this big, especially for a Warriors team that tends to move carefully and for a setting that can mislead. But Lendeborg is making the case that he can handle real minutes, and that matters if Golden State is looking for a path to improve elsewhere on the roster.
If the Warriors are already leaning toward a Butler deal, or even just weighing what Washington might demand in a Davis trade, Lendeborg’s breakout could be the extra push. With Butler’s injury, age and the current roster outlook all in the mix, the rookie’s rise is making an uncomfortable idea feel harder to dismiss.
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Warriors Beat Mavericks As One Rookie Suddenly Has Fans Talking
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Lendeborgs night also added another layer to his early summer resume after he had already appeared in the California Classic before this latest stop in Vegas. Golden State still has three Summer League games left, beginning against the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the focus now shifts to whether Lendeborg can keep building on a performance that has already started to get people talking. [Read more 🡒]