Henri Veesaar headed to Atlanta with No. 52 pick, slipping far from first round

Kamran Nia, The News & Observer on Jun 24, 2026

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The Atlanta Hawks, via trade with the Los Angeles Clippers, chose UNC center Henri Veesaar with the No. 52 selection of the 2026 NBA draft Tuesday night.

Veesaar — who played his redshirt junior season at UNC after three years with Arizona — averaged 17 points and 8.7 rebounds in 31 games last year.

Many mock drafts had Veesaar going in the late first-round. But after falling to the second round, Clutch Points’ Brett Siegel reported that his agency, The Team (formerly Wasserman) was “guiding him to the Hawks.”

ESPN’s draft board praised Veesaar’s offensive skill set, noting his touch around the rim and solid 3-point shooting ability. The 22-year-old shot 42.6 from behind the 3-point line in his final season.

While Veesaar can fill the paint with his 7-foot, 225-pound frame, he isn’t overly mobile or quick defensively, the report added. He can model his game around Luke Kornet or Quinten Post, ESPN added, to carve out an NBA role.

At the NBA combine, Veesaar said he envisions himself playing a similar role to Oklahoma City Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein. He praised Hartenstein’s ability to connect the offensive, saying he feels he could do the same.

“I feel like I’m a very versatile player,” Veesaar said at the combine. “I can fill two different roles, forward or center. It really comes down to what the coach wants from me.”

Before coming to the U.S. to play college basketball, Veesaar grew up in Estonia before playing for Real Madrid’s youth program. He even played with the Estonian national team in 2021, becoming the youngest player in the country’s history to appear in a FIBA qualifier.

In Veesaar’s one season with UNC, the Tar Heels finished with a 24-9 record. It lost in the ACC Tournament to Clemson despite a 28-point, 17-rebound effort by Veesaar. In the NCAA Tournament, it lost to No. 11-seeded VCU, with Veesaar posting 26 points and 10 rebounds.

Veesaar left one year of college eligibility behind, in which Field of 68 co-founder Jeff Goodman reported that one college coach told him he would’ve made at least $5.5 million.

Instead, Veesaar has his sights on making much more by carving out an NBA role.