Adding big stars to the college basketball transfer portal isn’t cheap.
When UAB transfer Yaxel Lendeborg entered the portal last spring, he was a priority target for many programs. After all, the 6-foot-9 Pennsauken, NJ native was a two-time Defensive Player of the Year after averaging 17.7 points, 11.4 rebounds and 4.2 assists a year ago.
Ex-Auburn coach Bruce Pearl said Monday on TNT that his school had offered Lendeborg $1 million and it “wasn’t even enough to get him excited.”
After withdrawing from the NBA draft, Lendeborg received $3 million when he chose Michigan in April.
Lendeborg then said, “I like the culture that (coach) Dusty May has brought to every team he has coached.” “When I first started watching college basketball, it was FAU.”
This was near the top tier for specific transfers. BYU guard Rob Wright received approximately $3.5 million, according to the report.
The move has paid off for Michigan so far.
Lendeborg is averaging 15.3 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.3 assists for the No. 7 Wolverines, who will face Gonzaga on Wednesday night in the Players Era Championship in Las Vegas. The winner will also receive $1 million in prize money in addition to the $1 million he received for coming in first place.
Lendeborg had 15 points and seven rebounds in Michigan’s 102-72 loss to Auburn on Tuesday night.
Lendeborg initially signed through 2022 with St. John’s and then-coach Mike Anderson, but when Rick Pitino took over he cut Lendeborg loose.
In October, Lendeborg scored a game-high 25 points and had 10 rebounds in a 96–94 win over St. John’s at Madison Square Garden.
After the game, Lendeborg made it clear that this was a game he ‘absolutely’ played with a chip on his shoulder against St. John’s.
“From the day I got the feeling that Pitino didn’t want me to the day he signed, there was an immediate burden on my shoulders,” he said, “I wanted so badly to come out here and win games, and we did that, so I’m very happy with that.”
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