CBS Sports analyst calls Veesaar’s draft move a ‘historic fumble’

Henri Veesaar bet on himself. The former North Carolina big man left Chapel Hill after a breakout season, turned down massive NIL offers and entered the 2026 NBA Draft expecting to hear his name in the first round.

Instead, he sat through almost the entire draft before finally going 52nd overall, a slide that underscored just how risky that bet turned out to be. In an era when top college stars can command seven-figure deals without ever leaving campus, Veesaar’s decision has quickly become a cautionary tale about jumping too soon.

“This is one of the all-time fumbles in draft history,” CBS Sports’ Matt Norlander said of Henri Veesaar’s decision to leave North Carolina early for the 2026 NBA Draft.

Norlander argued that the financial gap between Veesaar’s draft reality and his college options is stark.

“He could have returned to UNC, gotten $5 million, been the centerpiece at a blue blood program on a preseason top-15 team for a coach who, as Fink (Adam Finkelstein) just mentioned, has already shown what he can do with a big like Jokić,” Norlander said. “He would’ve had a great chance to turn himself into a top-20 pick in a much weaker 2027 draft. Instead, this decision completely overshadows the weeks- and months-long co-peak conversation we were having. It doesn’t even compare at this point.”

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Norlander also reported that multiple schools were prepared to offer at least $6 million via the transfer portal. Currently, only the top 10 draft picks will earn more than $6.1 million for the 2026-27 season, according to Spotrac.

That kind of college money stands in sharp contrast to Veesaar’s draft position. First-round picks receive two guaranteed years on their rookie contracts. Second-rounders like Veesaar must negotiate their deals after the draft with team front offices and do not receive the same level of guaranteed security.

Veesaar, who transferred from Arizona and played one season in Chapel Hill, earned second-team All-ACC honors last year. He averaged 17.0 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, ranking eighth in scoring and fourth in rebounding in the ACC. His 15 double-doubles were second most in the conference and 17th nationally.

Despite that production, and first-round projections from ESPN, The Athletic and USA TODAY Sports in their most recent mock drafts, the 6-foot-10 forward slipped into the second round and had to wait an extra day to hear his name called.

In hindsight, Veesaar’s choice to stay in the draft instead of returning to college might “age like milk rather than fine wine in Napa Valley,” given how much guaranteed money he appears to have left on the table.

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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Basketball: Matt Norlander blasts Veesaar’s NBA Draft gamble