Meet the new Warriors: Yaxel Lendeborg, LaJae Jones, Nick Boyd, Graham Ike, CJ Gunn
plus Al Horford is a re-new Warrior
Table of Contents
More detailed scouting reports on the new Warriors are below.
What to expect from the new signings
We should expect to see Yaxel Lendeborg, LaJae Jones, Nick Boyd, Graham Ike, and CJ Gunn all in Summer League (CA Classic and Las Vegas).
Yaxel has a guaranteed rookie scale contract (starts ~$6.1m / yr). He will almost certainly start the season coming off the bench on the NBA team.
It is not known what contract LaJae will have.
To keep his rights, the Warriors need to offer him a minimum guaranteed contract (~$1.3m).
However, many second round draft picks will sign for a two-way contract instead. (Quinten Post did this.) Indeed, the fact that Jones was drafted suggests he would be open to this. Players who won’t accept less than a minimum usually tell the team they won’t accept anything less than the qualifying minimum, so don’t draft them.
If LaJae signs a two-way, that means that if he eventually signs a minimum guaranteed contract, he will hit restricted free agency after two years (much like what’s happening with Quinten Post). If he signs his first contract as a rookie minimum, the contract will lock him in for 4 years (i.e. what’s happening with Will Richard).
The statuses of Boyd, Ike and Gunn are unclear, but likely they will all sign Exhibit 10 contracts, which give GSW the right to sign them as a two-way and, if the player plays for the G-League team in Santa Cruz, the player will get a tidy bonus.
The practical upshot is that Boyd, Ike and Gunn will be fighting it out with LJ Cryer and Malevy Leons (and anyone else excelling from summer league) for the three two-way contracts.
The re-newest Warrior: Al Horford
Al Horford plans to return to the Golden State Warriors next season, he told ESPN on Thursday.
Horford, 40, is declining his $6 million player option, with sources telling ESPN that he intends to sign a two-year, $14 million contract to return to the Warriors once free agency begins next month. Horford’s new deal will be fully guaranteed and includes a trade kicker, sources said.
…
“I want to see it through,” Horford said. “That [injury] kind of put a damper on things. Jimmy is a very special player, and he was doing so much for us. I feel like things were starting to turn.”
Yaxel Lendeborg, #11 pick
And here’s Old Man Horford on Yaxel:
The Warriors selected Michigan wing Yaxel Lendeborg with the 11th pick in the NBA draft Tuesday. Lendeborg, like Horford, is of Dominican descent, and Horford said his father, Tito, and Lendeborg’s father, Okary, played for the Dominican national team in the early 1990s.
“He’s already NBA ready,” Horford said of Lendeborg. “He’s a guy that has a big body that can score the ball, can get downhill, can put pressure on defenses. With him, with the guys we had last year, I expect that we should be in a pretty good place.”
We discussed him thoroughly in GSW pick Yaxel Lendeborg at #11, the most-ready, best-fitting big man available.
I plan to do a more in-depth report on him soon. His case brings up all kinds of fascinating questions.
LaJae Jones, #54 pick
The Athletic
54. Golden State Warriors
Lajae Jones | 6-7 | 22 years old | Florida State
Jones is a jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none wing who is probably most useful on the defensive end. He’s somewhat switchable and a solid playmaker with good hands. He’ll rotate across the weak side and get into passing lanes. The key for him will be the jumper, which just hasn’t quite been consistent enough over the course of his well-traveled collegiate career.
Hollinger’s analysis: The Warriors have done a great job scouting the bottom end of the draft in recent years, and Jones has a chance to be another find. He’s an NBA athlete who just needs to shoot more consistently and improve his decisions when he puts it on the deck. Grade: B+
Ersin Demir
There is much more at the linked section title.
Introduction
While scoring over fifteen points per game as a sophomore, Lajae Jones was crowned a NJCAA champion at Barton CC. Hereafter, made a big transfer up to St. Bonaventure as one of JUCO’s better defenders, putting up a 10.8 points per game scoring season while being a reliable volume shooter off the catch. These two years led to me putting Jones on my watchlist for this season, even mentioning him as a clear-cut NBA prospect in my ACC season preview last summer.
The defensive versatility on top of him maximizing his value in a more limited role made him a much-wanted commodity. He continued to show out defensively after transferring to Florida State, taking on a bigger role to where he has shown his role can scale at the next level. At close to thirteen points per game, he again had a good season showcasing his true NBA skill.
At the Portsmouth Invitational Tournament he kept showing out against his peers, making him one of the more underrated prospects in this draft pool. Jones is ready to take on a rotational role in the league, and this scouting report emphasizes what he can become in the future and how he will survive the first couple of NBA seasons.
Physical Profile
At 6’6.75” in shoes and 228 pounds, Jones is built like a rock with broad shoulders and a well-filled frame. He has a great core and fluid hips while showing good footwork. He’s a physical defender with the lateral pace to switch from finesse to sustaining an opponent’s speed. He’s a good athlete, mostly laterally while showing decent vertical pop as well.
At a 6’7.5” wingspan the length is limited, but that doesn’t hurt his profile as he’s more of a strength-based athlete instead of making an impact in the air. He’s physically more than ready to play a role immediately, which puts another added value to his profile.
Nick Boyd, undrafted free agent
Sam Vecenie, The Athletic
This is an excerpt from the Vecenie guide. There is considerably more detail in the original guide.
OVERVIEW
Height: 6 ft. 1 in.
Weight: 176 lbs.
Wingspan: 6 ft. 21/2 in.
Standing reach: 8 ft.
Birthday: April 23, 2001
Age: 25.2
Hometown: Garnerville, N.Y.
ANALYSIS
Boyd is a fascinating player; he was pretty complete as a lead guard this season at Wisconsin while running a well-spaced offense. He got the team in and out of its actions and pressured the defense going toward the rim consistently with his flexibility and tight handle in ball screens. He was one of the few guards who showed the craft to beat an opposing defender in isolation situations, and he also fights hard on defense while rarely turning over the ball.
I can see a way this works as a backup point guard in the NBA. But the fact that he’s already 25 and 6 feet 1 makes me much more comfortable betting on him as a two-way player than as a guaranteed contract player. Boyd might have been the most underrated player in the country this year, but the lack of size and strength could pose issues at the next level.
STRENGTHS
The easiest way to describe Boyd is that he’s a real hooper.
It’s hard to bother him with pressure off the dribble.
Puts serious pressure on the basket.
Part of the reason he’s such an effective driver is that he’s a capable shooter, especially off the catch.
Doesn’t have great in-between counters but can make a floater; he hit 42 percent of them, per Synergy.
Boyd isn’t an elite passer, but he makes his decisions quickly and generally keeps the offense flowing.
Despite his size, he has at least battled at the point of attack and tried to get underneath opposing players throughout his career.
AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT
Boyd will be small for the NBA.
Boyd was a 24-year-old dominating younger players this season.
The size will come up most on defense.
He was not that disruptive off the ball on defense.
Offensively, two concerns pop up.
Boyd’s vision is not consistently elite.
NBA.com
Overview
Nick Boyd’s path to NBA draft consideration is one of the more unconventional in this class. The Garnerville, New York native spent four seasons at Florida Atlantic, including a redshirt year, before stops at San Diego State and finally Wisconsin, accumulating more big-game experience than nearly any 2026 prospect. He was a starter on FAU’s 2023 Cinderella team and scored 12 points in the Final Four loss to San Diego State, the same program he transferred to the following year. In his lone season with the Aztecs, Boyd earned Second-Team All-Mountain West honors. He saved the best for last, as Boyd averaged 20.7 points, 3.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game at Wisconsin on 48/37/83 shooting splits across 35 games, earning Second-Team All-Big Ten honors and helping the Badgers reach the Big Ten Tournament Championship, where he also earned All-Tournament Team recognition. He was a two-time Big Ten Player of the Week and put together a strong performance during the NBA Draft Combine scrimmages that drew significant attention from scouts.
Analysis
Boyd is a savvy, under-control offensive guard whose production only elevated as his competition improved. He plays with excellent pace, rarely forces plays and posted one of the better assist-to-turnover ratios among high-usage guards in the Big Ten this past season. His shooting efficiency as a senior, particularly from the mid-range and off the pull-up, suggests a player who has refined and polished his game over six college seasons. Boyd turns 25 before draft night, making him one of the oldest prospects in the class by a significant margin, and he lacks elite athleticism that would help him finish around the rim against NBA-caliber defenders. His three-point shooting is functional but not exceptional, and his defensive profile against bigger guards could be scrutinized.
Projection
Boyd’s age limits his ceiling in the eyes of most evaluators, but his production, winning resume and combine performance have pushed him firmly onto draft boards. His most realistic NBA archetype is a dependable backup point guard who manages an offense efficiently, similar to players like Cam Payne, Tyus Jones or Darren Collison, who are all mistake-averse floor generals. If the shooting tightens and he can hold up defensively, Boyd has the IQ and poise to stick in a rotation.
— Profile by RotoWire.com
Graham Ike, undrafted free agent
Shortly after the second round of the NBA draft concluded on Wednesday, Ike reportedly agreed to a deal with the Golden State Warriors. It was later reported the deal will be an Exhibit 10 contract, with Golden State keeping the option to add him as a two-way player later on. ….
The 6’9 big man was named an All-WCC First Teamer all three years with the Zags, finally earning conference Player of the Year in 2025-26 by averaging 19.9 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.4 assists while shooting 60.9% on twos and 33.8% from three.
He took over for Gonzaga following the season-ending knee injury to star forward Braden Huff, ultimately posting averages of 23.2 points,7.5 rebounds, and1.9 assists while playing a ridiculous 34.9 minutes per game. Despite a significantly increased workload, a not quite 100% ankle injury, and no help in the frontcourt, Ike actually shot better in those 15 games - hitting 64.2% of his two pointers and 38.1% from deep - along with an outstanding 86.7% clip from the free throw line….
The 6’9 big man should get every opportunity to prove himself in the NBA Summer League next month, and likely ends up spending a good chunk of time with the Santa Cruz Warriors in the G League this upcoming season.
Vecenie: Massive, long post player who needs to change play style for NBA.
CJ Gunn, undrafted free agent
According to The Consensus NBA, DePaul small forward CJ Gunn is signing a contract with the Warriors.
Gunn played sparingly in two seasons with Indiana before trasnferring to DePaul. In his two seasons with the Blue Demons, he averaged 13.0 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.2 steals.
He shot just 41.4 percent from the floor and 30.5 percent from three.
Carr has promising length with his 6’7” frame, but so does Warriors second-round pick Lajae Jones.
If it comes down to one two-way roster spot between Jones and Carr, expect Jones to get the nod.
Andy Thompson: “BREAKING: DePaul guard CJ Gunn has signed with the Golden State Warriors as an undrafted free agent, a source confirms to @TheDePaud. Gunn completed a workout with the team in the weeks leading up to the draft. He is believed to have upside as a perimeter piece.”
@Ary_Report: “Source: UDFA CJ Gunn agreed to a deal with the Golden State Warriors. Gunn, a 6-foot-7 wing out of DePaul, tested in the top 10% of the AIQ during the pre-draft process and impressed Warriors officials with his positional size, shooting ability, and long-term 3-and-D upside.”
The 2026 College Slam Dunk & 3-Point Contest tipped off Final Four weekend at Hinkle Fieldhouse on Friday as Sacramento State Hornets forward Shaqir O'Neal took home the dunk contest championship! O'Neal used back to back perfect scores to clinch the title, highlighted by leaping over two players and recreating Vince Carter's famous "Honey Dip" dunk. "It was a lot of pressure," O'Neal told the media. Meanwhile, DePaul Blue Demons guard CJ Gunn and Kansas Jayhawks guard Elle Evans won the men's and women's 3-point shootouts, proving they are among the most prolific shotmakers in the country.
Thanks for collecting all of these scouting reports and videos EA. I think you may have some quotes in the wrong section though, as there are a few scouting notes about CJ Gunn among Graham Ike's scouting notes.
Edit: I think SI also goofed as they reference "Carr" several times in their write up on CJ Gunn.
Except for Yax, I hadn't heard of any of these guys until the W's picked/signed them, but I have an irrationally good feeling about all of them! :D
Seriously, though, I like all their profiles, and especially for this team's needs and I feel like they all have this outside shot of becoming contributors, if we hit on even one of the non Yax guys (and Yax is everything we hope, of course) I vote for MDJ as exec of the year.