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UNC's Henri Veesaar rejects largest NIL offer to declare for 2026 NBA Draft originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Michael Malone and the North Carolina Tar Heels received bad news on Friday. Henri Veesaar declared for the 2026 NBA Draft, leaving a gap to fill in the roster for next year.
Malone worked on trying to retain the 7-foot center and help boost his draft stock for 2027. The UNC coaching staff even flew to California and made Veesaar a priority for next season. However, the big man moves on and is projected as a mid-to-late first round pick.
But the real story isn't UNC chasing down their own player. CBS Sports' Matt Norlander reported that multiple schools tried to get Veesaar into the transfer portal, offering him $6 million. That would've made him the richest player in college basketball going into next year.
"Henri Veesaar is leaving UNC and intends to stay in the NBA Draft, source told
@CBSSports. Avgd 17.0 pts, 8.7 rebs, shot ~42% from 3. Big domino on this NCAA draft declaration deadline day. Veesaar is a potential 1st-rounder but will leave a big NIL on the table as a result."
More:Former UNC coach to Michael Malone: 'Embrace history, but don’t be paralyzed by it'
This would've also tripled his projected NBA rookie earnings as well. Veesaar skipping off to the NBA will leave Malone and his staff searching rapidly in the next few days. One of the best options at this point is trying out the transfer portal. Not having Veesaar will free up money available to get to the next center.
More UNC basketball news:
- Michael Malone, UNC retain former top-50 guard out of the transfer portal
- Warning to UNC fans: Michael Malone doesn't want to 'Be Like Mike'
- Here's Coach K's unfiltered reaction to UNC hiring Michael Malone
- Michael Malone on the verge of losing first recruiting battle over $3 million
- UNC basketball is special but still not close to powerhouse
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