By R.L. Bynum
Henri Veesaar will enter the 2026 NBA draft, a move that formalizes the next step for one of college basketball’s most efficient big men and forces Carolina into a fast recalibration under Coach Michael Malone.
Veesaar intends to stay in the draft.
“This journey didn’t happen alone,” Veesaar said in a statement UNC released. “To my family — thank you for every sacrifice, every late night, every moment you believed in me before anyone else did. To my friends, teammates and coaches – thank you for being part of the grind and helping shape me into who I am today.
“The University of North Carolina — thank you for the memories, the lessons and the brotherhood. It’s something I’ll carry with me forever,” he said.
With Caleb Wilson’s departure, if Veesaar does keep his name in the draft, it will be the first time UNC has lost two players with remaining eligibility after only one season in Chapel Hill to the draft since 2019, when freshmen Coby White and Nassir Little left.
Veesaar’s decision to enter the NBA draft turns a season of production into a professional audition, and it reshapes UNC’s offseason priorities with one move. If he keeps his name in the draft, the Tar Heels will lose a 7-footer who averaged 17.0 points and 8.7 rebounds at a time when their new staff is already juggling roster decisions and portal urgency.
What makes the decision notable is that Veesaar has consistently described it as a feedback-based process, one in which he wanted clarity on how teams see him before he locked in the next step.
“I’ll listen to the feedback I get from NBA teams,” he said, while explaining that he planned to weigh round range and fit as part of the evaluation. “Then I’ll see where I might land in the draft. Whether it’s in the first or second round and with which team.”
Three mock drafts have Veesaar going late in the first round, although the consensus of mock drafts has him being picked 32nd, which would be the second round. A first-round draftee gets guaranteed money that a second-rounder doesn’t get.
The timeline is also tight, and it has been part of the conversation around his decision for weeks. The NBA Draft Combine is scheduled for May 10–17, giving players who declare a clear checkpoint for medicals, measurements and team interviews
For UNC, the impact is obvious and immediate. A skilled center is hard to replace, and Veesaar’s spacing was central to what the Tar Heels became at their best. For Veesaar, the gamble is also clear; he is betting that a season of elite efficiency and high-level shot-making translates into a spot that matches his ambitions, whether that is a first-round slot or a situation that offers a real pathway to an NBA roster.
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Roster assuming all players with eligibility other than Caleb Wilson, Henri Veesaar and the seven players who entered the transfer portal return, which would put UNC four under the 15-player limit. The class for next season is listed.
| No./ Stars | Class | Player | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 star | Freshman | Maximo Adams | SF | 6–7 | 205 |
| 3 star | Freshman | Malloy Smith | CG | 6–5 | 190 |
| Sophomore | Neoklis Avdalas — W | G | 6–9 | 215 | |
| Sophomore | Isaiah Denis | G | 6–4 | 180 | |
| Sophomore | Matt Able — X | G | 6–6 | 205 | |
| Junior | Maxim Logue — Y | C | 6–9 | 232 | |
| Senior | Terrence Brown — Z | G | 6–3 | 174 | |
| 4 | Senior | Jaydon Young | G | 6–4 | 200 |
| 15 | Senior | Jarin Stevenson | 4 | 6–10 | 215 |
| Walk-ons | |||||
| 25 | Junior | John Holbrook | 4 | 6–8 | 230 |
| 32 | Senior | Evan Smith | 2 | 6–1 | 195 |
W — Virginia Tech transfer; X — N.C. State transfer; Y — FAU transfer; Z — Utah transfer
In transfer portal
| Player | Class next season | Pos. | Hgt | Wgt | Next school |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Luka Bogavac | Senior | W | 6–6 | 215 | Oklahoma State |
| James Brown | Senior | C | 6–10 | 240 | Howard |
| Derek Dixon | Sophomore | G | 6–5 | 200 | Arizona |
| Kyan Evans | Senior | G | 6–2 | 175 | Minnesota |
| Zayden High | Junior | C | 6–10 | 230 | South Florida |
| Jonathan Powell | Junior | G | 6–6 | 190 | Pittsburgh |
| Ivan Matlekovic | Junior | C | 7–0 | 255 |
Key offseason dates
April 7 — Transfer portal opened
April 16 — Was the deadline to request an evaluation from the NBA Undergraduate Advisory Committee
Tuesday — Transfer portal closed
11:59 p.m. Friday — NBA early-entry deadline
Sunday — Deadline for UNC players on last season’s roster to enter the transfer portal
May 8–10 — G-League Combine in Chicago
May 10 — NBA Draft Lottery
May 10–17 — NBA Draft Combine in Chicago
May 27 (11:59 p.m.) — NCAA early-entry withdrawal deadline
June 23–24 — NBA draft at Barclays Center in Brooklyn
Nonconference schedule so far
(Other than the ACC/SEC Challenge, games without links revealed from reporting by Alex Rosinski)
(10 of 14 games)
Nov. 2 — vs. Western Carolina
Nov. 6 — vs. Wofford
Nov. 10 — vs. Wyoming
Nov. 13 — vs. Georgia
Nov. 20 — vs. Marshall
Dec. 1 or 2 — vs. SEC team in ACC/SEC Challenge
Dec. 12 — at Georgetown
Dec. 19 — vs. Kentucky in CBS Sports Classic at Madison Square Garden
Dec. 21 — vs. The Citadel
November or December — vs. Butler
Photo courtesy of the ACC
