Golden State's 101-89 preseason win over the Lakers on Friday turned into an audition for Yaxel Lendeborg, the 19-year-old forward who logged 16 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 assists in 28 minutes. Steph Curry played 21 minutes and scored 12 points. The box score delta matters because the Warriors have four roster spots still fluid and Lendeborg is competing for a two-way slot that general manager Mike Dunleavy must finalize by October 21.
Lendeborg went undrafted out of Overtime Elite in June, signed a training camp deal in September, and has now posted double-doubles in consecutive preseason games. He shot 6-of-11 from the field Friday and pulled down 5 offensive rebounds, the kind of output that travels in garbage-time regular season minutes when the Warriors rest their core four. The team carried 21 players into camp. That number drops to 17 (15 standard, 2 two-way) in nine days.
The front office calculus is straightforward. Golden State is $11.8 million over the luxury tax and $176.8 million in total payroll, per Spotrac. Every marginal roster decision compounds. If Lendeborg earns a two-way contract, he costs roughly $559,000 and can spend up to 50 games with the big club. If he clears waivers and accepts a G League assignment with Santa Cruz, the Warriors preserve flexibility but risk another team claiming him. Oklahoma City claimed Lindy Waters III off waivers last season after Golden State tried the same maneuver. Waters started 21 games for the Thunder.
The two-way market has tightened. Lendeborg's rebounding rate (15.8% in preseason minutes) would rank in the top 40 leaguewide last season. The Warriors ranked 23rd in offensive rebounding percentage in 2023-24 and traded for Kyle Anderson in July specifically to add size. Lendeborg is 6-foot-9, 215 pounds, and plays faster than his frame suggests. He also turns 20 in November, which means his rookie-scale timeline aligns with Jonathan Kuminga's extension window and the broader roster rebuild Steve Kerr has acknowledged publicly three times since training camp opened.
Dunleavy has not commented on Lendeborg's status. The relevant data point is that Warriors assistant coach Jacob Rubin, who oversees Santa Cruz's player development program, was seated courtside Friday and left Chase Center with Lendeborg after the game. That suggests two-way interest, not a courtesy cut. The Warriors also waived Kevin Knox II on Thursday, clearing one camp roster spot. Knox signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv two days later, confirming the move was planned, not reactive.
Watch the final two preseason games Sunday against Detroit and Tuesday against Sacramento. If Lendeborg plays 20-plus minutes in either, it signals the front office is stress-testing his usage in real rotation scenarios. Watch also whether Golden State signs another veteran minimum player before October 21. The team has explored reunion talks with Andre Iguodala, per league sources, which would occupy the 15th standard roster slot and push two-way decisions into binary territory.
The rookie's agent is Mark Bartelstein at Priority Sports, the same firm that represents Draymond Green and Brandin Podziemski. That relationship creates no formal advantage in roster construction but does streamline contract negotiation if Dunleavy offers a two-way deal. Lendeborg's preseason stat line now lives in the same front-office Slack channel as luxury tax projections and G League affiliate schedules. The next 72 hours will clarify which channel wins.
The takeaway
Warriors rookie Lendeborg's 16-12-4 preseason line forces two-way roster math for a front office $11.8M over the tax with nine days to decide.
Editorial & Disclosure Notice: This article was written with artificial intelligence from public sources and is published without individual human review. Artificial intelligence and other digital tools are also used for research, analysis, editing, formatting, and production. Errors, omissions, outdated information, or inaccuracies may occur. References to companies, brands, products, services, organizations, or individuals are for informational and editorial purposes and do not imply endorsement, sponsorship, affiliation, partnership, or approval unless expressly stated. All trademarks and other intellectual property remain the property of their respective owners. Opinions, analysis, estimates, and commentary are informational only and should not be construed as financial, investment, legal, tax, medical, procurement, or other professional advice. Information may be corrected, clarified, or updated after publication. Corrections or removal requests: jenny@pops4.com.
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