The Celtics are predicted to select 7-foot center Henri Veesaar in the 2026 NBA Draft. This move comes after their early playoff exit and aims to bolster their roster.
North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar
Celtics Predicted To Add 17-Point, 7-Foot Center Who Could Replace Luka Garza originally appeared on NESN. Add NESN as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Celtics are preparing for the 2026 NBA Draft much earlier than they expected after their first-round playoff loss to the 76ers. Despite holding the 27th pick, Boston can still find a player who can contribute to its success in the upcoming season.
Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley published a mock draft on Saturday, suggesting that the Celtics will select North Carolina center Henri Veesaar.
"The Celtics prefer filling the floor with shooting threats. Their offense can be especially hard to handle when they deploy a stretch big," Buckley wrote. "But they might need new candidates for the role, since Nikola Vučević is a free agent. Luka Garza hasn't proven capable of handling a consistent rotation role.
"Veesar, a 7-footer who just buried 42.6 percent of his perimeter shots, could be a suitable stand-in. He might be a lot more than that, since he has shown good agility, smart passing and enough bounce to make plays above the rim on both ends."
Henri Veesaar is a 7-foot center from North Carolina, known for averaging 17 points per game.
The Celtics are looking to draft a center to replace Luka Garza and strengthen their roster after a disappointing playoff performance.
The Celtics hold the 27th pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.
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The 22-year-old center played four seasons of college basketball, including three at Arizona. However, he only participated in two of those seasons, redshirting in 2023-24, and then transferred to North Carolina for the last season.
Veesar appeared in 31 games for the Tar Heels, recording 17 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists. This brings his career totals to 9.7 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists over 97 games.