Yaxel Lendeborg Leads Warriors To Las Vegas Summer League Title
Yaxel Lendeborg prevailed over Cameron Boozer in a battle of lottery picks as the Warriors topped the Grizzlies Sunday night to claim the Las Vegas Summer League championship, writes Ben Golliver of ESPN.
It was the second title in four months for Lendeborg, the 11th pick in the draft, who celebrated an NCAA championship with Michigan in April. Golliver notes that he joins Davion Mitchell as the only players ever to accomplish that feat.
“Coming into this program, I just wanted to prove that I’m a winner,” Lendeborg said. “Doing stuff like this — not caring about the stats and just caring about the outcome. I’m going to continue to push that into next season with the bigger Warriors. … At Michigan, we played team ball. Here, we play team ball. That’s what wins games and championships.”
Lendeborg was named Championship Game MVP after posting 21 points and 10 rebounds in the 94-90 victory. The Warriors finished with a 5-1 record in Las Vegas and became the third team with multiple LVSL titles since the league began in 2013.
Boozer, the No. 3 pick in the draft, led Memphis with 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists. His three-pointer late in the third quarter gave the Grizzlies a 76-66 lead, but Lendeborg sparked the Warriors’ comeback. Reserve guard Deivon Smith scored 21 points as Golden State had five players reach double figures.
The Grizzlies had several opportunities late in the game, but Boozer missed a three-pointer that would have given them the lead and Olivier-Maxence Prosper committed a turnover on an inbounds pass.
“Their butts got tight,” Lendeborg said. “They puckered up. Some of us are built for the moment and some aren’t. … Our spirit, our will, our desire to not lose is pretty much what helped us out.”
Lendeborg, who’ll turn 24 in late September, is expected to be a complementary player with the Warriors during the season, but he got to show off his complete array of skills during Summer League. During the six games in Las Vegas, he averaged 14.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 28.3 minutes per night while shooting 45.9% from the field and 35.7% from three-point range.
He also admitted some satisfaction in getting the best of Boozer, whose Duke team defeated Michigan in February.
“I think about [revenge] every time I play [Boozer],” Lendeborg said. “Every game we play, them refs be saving him. … It is a competitive nature [with] everybody that gets drafted ahead of me.”
Hawks’ Smith, Nuggets’ Akinjo, Nets’ Smith Waived
A trio of camp invitees around the league have been waived, according to the NBA.com transaction log: Deivon Smith (Hawks), Malachi Smith (Nets), and James Akinjo (Nuggets).
Deivon Smith was a five-year college player who started his career at Mississippi State and ended it at St. John’s. A 6’1″ guard, he averaged 9.3 points and 3.9 assists for St. John’s after transferring from Utah.
Akinjo is also a 6’1″ guard. He played for Georgetown for two seasons, then Arizona, before playing his senior season at Baylor, where he averaged 13.5 points, 5.8 assists, and 2.0 steals per game. He played last season with the Wisconsin Herd in the G League, averaging 15.7 PPG and 8.2 APG on 41.3% shooting from three.
Malachi Smith signed his deal with the Nets on Tuesday. He has been a G League mainstay since going undrafted in 2023, playing last season for the Grizzlies’ affiliate, the Memphis Hustle. Keith Smith of Spotrac notes (via Twitter) that Smith got a $42,650 partial guarantee in his deal, which was designed to help the Nets stay over the minimum salary floor.
All three players are likely to report their teams’ G League affiliates. Deivon Smith and Akinjo would earn Exhibit 10 bonuses worth $25,00 and $85,300, respectively, if they spend at least 60 days in the NBAGL.
Hawks Sign Lamont Butler, Deivon Smith, M.J. Walker
The Hawks have made three additions to their preseason roster, announcing in a press release that they have signed guards Lamont Butler, Deivon Smith and M.J. Walker.
While the terms of the contracts were not disclosed, all three players likely signed non-guaranteed Exhibit 10 deals, which would put them in line for bonuses worth up to $85,300 if they’re waived before the season begins and spend at least 60 days with the College Park Skyhawks, Atlanta’s G League affiliate.
It’s unclear why Atlanta brought back Butler — the former San Diego State and Kentucky guard already signed an Exhibit 10 deal with the Hawks in late September. He was cut a couple days later.
Smith, a Georgia native has spent the past five years playing at four different colleges, suiting up for Mississippi State, Georgia Tech, Utah and St. John’s. In 30 games last season for the Red Storm (27.1 minutes), the 6’1″ guard averaged 9.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 1.4 steals, with a shooting line of .380/.352/.667.
Both Butler and Smith played for the Hawks’ Summer League team in Las Vegas.
Walker, another Georgia native, went undrafted in 2021 and has spent the past four seasons in the G League with the Westchester Knicks and the Greensboro Swarm (the Hornets’ affiliate). The 27-year-old also had a brief 10-day hardship stint with the Suns in 2021/22, playing eight NBA minutes in two appearances.
Atlanta now has 21 players under contract, which is the offseason limit.