The Big Ten Player of the Year says he chose development over money after Kentucky made a massive NIL push in the transfer portal.


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When last year's top-ranked transfer Yaxel Lendeborg withdrew from the 2025 NBA Draft and committed to Michigan, it was the biggest recruiting win of Dusty May's coaching career. Michigan's investment in the Big Ten Player of the Year has paid dividends, as the Wolverines will head into the 2026 NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 seed in the Midwest Region.

Michigan wasn't the only suitor for Lendeborg's services, of course, and the Wolverines did not even have the highest offer. In an interview this week with The Associated Press, Lendeborg revealed that Kentucky offered him between "$7 to 9 million" to play for them. Kentucky's roster has a price tag in the $20 million range, but even with that high-end number, it would've been worth the investment for Mark Pope's team that lacks a true All-American superstar on the roster.

"They started the number with $7 to 9 (million)," Lendeborg said. "They were pretty much going off on the route like we'll pay him anything to get here."

Industry sources handicap the number Michigan gave Lendeborg to be more in the $5 million neighborhood. Colleges can pay athletes via rev-share and by facilitating third-party NIL deals.

May, not the money, was why Lendeborg picked Michigan.

"I was raised without it and I went my whole life without it," Lendeborg said. "Anything was going to make me super, super happy at the time. I was thinking long term. What if I mess up my career because I chased the money instead of a future? Another big reason why I went with Dusty was he didn't talk about money at all. It was all about making me better and helping me achieve my goals."

Kentucky put its best foot forward to land Lendeborg in the portal, and it might go down as a major "what-if" for Pope. The Wildcats instead landed commitments from Kam Williams (Tulane), Jaland Lowe (Pitt), Mouhamed Dioubate (Alabama), Denzel Aberdeen (Florida) and Jayden Quaintance (Arizona State).

Lowe and Quaintance were two of the biggest names from that transfer portal haul and they combined to play just 11 games total. Lowe played nine games before undergoing season-ending shoulder surgery. As for Quaintance, he appeared in just two games this season and has no timeline for return due to continued swelling in his surgically repaired knee.

Meanwhile, Lendeborg is averaging 14.6 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.2 assists this season for the Wolverines and helped the program go 31-3. Lendeborg is the No. 11-ranked player in CBS Sports' NBA Draft rankings and is well on his way to becoming a lottery pick this summer.

With Lendeborg, Michigan earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2021 and will face the winner of No. 16 seed UMBC or No. 16 seed Howard in the first round on Thursday.

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