UNC's Henri Veesaar's Contract Proves He Made Wrong Decision

The 2026 NBA Draft produced several storylines in the revised two-day event, with the top four picks featuring generational talents, including former North Carolina Tar Heels forward Caleb Wilson.

This year's draft class has been universally viewed as elite, and the surplus of top-tier prospects pushed the second- and third-tier prospects farther down the board than expected. That included Henri Veesaar, who fell all the way to No. 52, with the Atlanta Hawks trading with the Los Angeles Clippers to select the former Tar Heels center.

Before officially entering the draft, reports surfaced that Veesaar had received at least $5.5 million from multiple programs to return to college for one more season. North Carolina was also prepared to make a lucrative offer for the 6-foot-11, 227-pound center.

Obviously, Veesaar rejected those offers to keep his name in the draft following the scouting combine last month. On Thursday, Veesaar officially signed a four-year, $9.3 million contract. Here is a breakdown of the contract and why it validates the opinions that Veesaar made a mistake by not returning to North Carolina.

Breakdown of the Contract

North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar (13) celebrates after scoring Thursday, March 19, 2026, during the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament first round game against the VCU Rams at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. VCU Rams won 82-78 in OT. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

The structure of this contract is the same as the evaluations of the 31st, 32nd, and 35th picks in the 2025 NBA Draft. That shows the level of confidence the Hawks have in Veesaar to develop into a legitimate rotational piece on the roster.

While the contract terms are a best-case scenario for Veessar, given that he was one of the final 10 picks in this year's draft, it proves that his decision not to return to college was costly, literally.

Veesaar Should Have Returned to UNC

Dec 22, 2025; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar (13) gets doubled by East Carolina Pirates center Giovanni Emejuru (7) and guard Isaiah Mbeng (2) during the first half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

By all accounts, the former Arizona and North Carolina center received offers north of $5 million to stay in college. Even before the draft, the overall sentiment was that Veesaar should seriously consider one more year of college basketball as his top choice.

For one, that money would be guaranteed, and he had all the leverage in negotiations with the Tar Heels, who would probably pay anything to retain his services. Because multiple schools were interested in Veesaar, his agency could have driven up the price, generating a lucrative bidding war for the veteran center.

Secondly, as noted, this year's draft class was robust with elite talent, which shoved prospects such as Veesaar into spots that would be unlikely in other years. Veesaar was better off staying one more year in Chapel Hill, producing another strong season, and potentially solidifying himself as a surefire first-round pick in next year's draft.

Although it would be difficult to duplicate the statistical output he produced this past season, averaging 17.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 60.8 percent from the field and 42.6 percent from three-point range, anything remotely close to that, and Veesaar would likely be a first-round pick in 2027.

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