Draymond Green isn’t exactly known for being easy to get along with. Jordan Poole could tell you that much.
Turns out Golden State’s newest rookie might have a similar reputation. Yaxel Lendeborg, the Warriors’ first-round pick (11th overall) in the 2026 NBA Draft, has apparently rubbed a few people the wrong way himself over the years.
Put those two personalities in the same locker room and you’d expect some friction eventually. Nobody expected it to start before Lendeborg even played a single game for the team, though.
Green Calls Out His New Rookie
At his introductory press conference, reporters asked Lendeborg the usual rookie question – had any current Warriors reached out to welcome him to the team?
He said Steph Curry added him to the group chat right away. Green, on the other hand, apparently left him hanging.
Green says that’s simply not true.
“Yaxel’s been f—ing lying,” Green said on a recent episode of his podcast. “It’s the Michigan way. This guy texted me, I text back within 30 seconds. This f—ing guy goes in an interview and says ‘oh man, Steph reached out, texted Draymond, still waiting on a response back.’ You f—ing liar, Yaxel.”
He didn’t stop there, either.
“So I had to expose the young fella a bit, we’re not really a team very big on like, rookie hazing, but we can pick that back up, start having more and more rookie duties.”
Green even pulled up the actual text thread to back up his claim, seemingly settling the matter for good – at least in his own mind.
Whether it’s a real disagreement or just some early trash talk, it’s hard to say. Green’s competitive streak is well documented, and if Lendeborg has that same edge, the two could actually mesh well once games start counting. Then again, this isn’t exactly the warmest welcome a rookie’s ever gotten from a veteran leader.
For what it’s worth, Green is entering the season at 36 years old, so however this relationship plays out, it probably won’t have much time to develop. The Warriors likely aren’t losing sleep over a texting dispute between two guys who’ll figure out how to coexist once the games actually start mattering.