North Carolina star center Henri Veesaar has officially decided to enter the NBA Draft. That was some unfortunate news that North Carolina got on Friday, but that's life, and the Tar Heels will have to go on without him. It's been interesting that he didn't decide to come back to North Carolina, or college basketball in general, as reports indicated that teams were willing to offer him up to $6 million to come back for another season.
Instead, the 22-year-old is making his way to the NBA, and a recent prediction has him going in the first round to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
“29. Cleveland Cavaliers (via San Antonio) Henri Veesaar, North Carolina junior big Veesaar is an agile big with real shooting touch, connective playmaking and baseline big skills with the ability to set screens and catch lobs. He also offers rim protection and is a locked-in help defender. He might not even enter the draft, as he remains undecided. But if he does, it’d make perfect sense for the Cavaliers to scoop him up since he could operate as a big man next to either Jarrett Allen or Evan Mobley,” Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo wrote.
A few years ago, I completely understood why a player like Veesaar would go to the draft and take the money that comes with a first-round pick.
However, many of these top college guys are getting paid more than guys who play in the NBA, so I'm a bit surprised that he went this route. Regardless, he should have a nice little NBA career for himself if things go as well as they should.