UNC’s Henri Veesaar declares for the NBA Draft, won’t return for senior year
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- Henri Veesaar declared for the 2026 NBA Draft and will not return to UNC.
- UNC must pursue other center options in the portal and from overseas now.
- Veesaar averaged 17 points and 8.7 rebounds while shooting 61.4% from the field.
Extensive roster turnover was inevitable for a UNC program undergoing a change in leadership: Michael Malone taking over for Hubert Davis.
But Friday’s news is the most seismic shift for the roster.
North Carolina center and second-team All-ACC honoree Henri Veesaar is declaring for the 2026 NBA Draft, a source confirmed to the N&O on Friday afternoon. Matt Norlander of CBS Sports first reported the news.
This comes just before the deadline for underclassmen to enter the NBA Draft, which is Friday at 11:59 p.m. A source confirmed to the N&O that, during a meeting late Thursday evening, Veesaar informed Malone and his staff that he would not return to UNC for his senior season. Instead, Veesaar will be leaving college a year early to pursue his dreams of playing professionally.
The 7-foot junior from Tallinn, Estonia, is coming off a breakout season in which he earned second-team All-ACC honors and emerged as one of the nation’s most efficient and versatile centers. Veesaar averaged 17 points and 8.7 rebounds while shooting an efficient 61.4% from the field and 42.0% from 3-point range.
The proven All-ACC big man was seen by many as an essential linchpin to Malone’s first season. It’s safe to say that a return to Chapel Hill would throw Veesaar into the conversation for preseason All-American honors.
Speculation grew throughout the week about which final direction Veesaar was going to take. With projected top-five pick Caleb Wilson heading to the NBA (but not before dunking on his fellow UNC classmates) and senior guard Seth Trimble out of eligibility (although he entered the transfer portal in case of a rule change), Veesaar remained the heaviest hammer to fall.
Now, North Carolina will be forced to look more closely at other options at center — in the portal and overseas. UNC has been courting other options at forward in the meantime, a source confirmed to the N&O, but the dropoff in talent between Veesaar and other available big men is notable.
What is UNC losing in Veesaar?
A transfer from Arizona, Veesaar started all 31 games he played for the Tar Heels and led the team in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage, 3-point shooting and blocks. He recorded 14 double-doubles after failing to register one in his first three collegiate years.
Veesaar’s statistical profile is historically rare — especially for his size. Last season, he became the first player in ACC history to total at least 30 blocks and 30 3-pointers while shooting 60% or better from the floor. That breakout performance earned him national recognition: he was named one of five finalists for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, given to the nation’s top center.
Prior to North Carolina, Veesaar spent three seasons at Arizona under Tommy Lloyd. He played in 66 games and averaged 9.4 points and 5.4 rebounds during the 2024-25 season. His development this past season was notable, which he credited (in part) to playing in Davis’ system and working with UNC assistant coach Sean May.
Veesaar scored 54 points and pulled down 27 rebounds over the last two games of the season. He’s projected as a potential first-round pick, with USA Today recently slotting him No. 29 overall to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
How is UNC’s roster shaping up so far?
The lone starter guaranteed to return from last season is Chapel Hill native Jarin Stevenson. He had a few breakout moments last season, like his second-half outburst at Virginia, and helped fill Wilson’s shoes after the freshman went down with injury. The junior forward found his groove down the stretch, averaging 10.7 points and 6.4 rebounds over the Tar Heels’ final 10 games as he helped pick up production in Wilson’s absence.
Starters Luka Bogavac and Derek Dixon hit the transfer portal for Oklahoma State and Arizona, respectively. Incoming five-star Dylan Mingo and UNC parted ways after the high schooler visited Malone and his staff on a recent weekend in Chapel Hill.
Jaydon Young and Isaiah Denis are returning after initially exploring the portal. Top-25 recruit Maximo Adams kept his commitment to the Tar Heels after the coaching change.
Since the portal opened, Malone first added Virginia Tech transfer Neoklis Avdalas. The 6-foot-9 guard was inconsistent for most of his freshman season but generated NBA draft buzz early in his one-year campaign in Blacksburg, Va. His intriguing combination of size and playmaking ability should allow him to easily slot into a point-forward role in Malone’s system.
And this is all before a flurry of Tuesday additions brought in Utah’s Terrence Brown, N.C. State’s Matt Able and FAU’s Maxim Logue. This trio should translate to two starters in the backcourt (Brown, Able) and a developmental forward with tremendous upside in Logue.
But moving on from Veesaar undoubtedly stalls the momentum for Malone’s staff. A source close to the program told the N&O that, in Veesaar’s absence, UNC is likely to pursue more bulky, physical players down low.
Still, whoever North Carolina picks up at this point in the post is unlikely to possess the same upside as Veesaar.
This story was originally published April 24, 2026 at 12:27 PM.
