UNC back in hunt for starting center as Henri Veesaar eyes NBA

North Carolina entered the offseason prioritizing its frontcourt, and now the Tar Heels are searching for a starting center for next season.

Henri Veesaar declared for the NBA draft on Friday, and multiple reports indicate he is expected to prepare for a professional career rather than return to college after the combine. While there remains a slim chance he struggles in the pre-draft process and chooses to come back to Chapel Hill, UNC is operating as if he will not be on the roster next season.

The transfer portal is technically available, but it closes on Sunday and has never been viewed as a realistic path for Veesaar. That’s largely because UNC has a substantial NIL package in place, leaving little reason for him to play his college basketball anywhere else if he returns.

In the meantime, head coach Michael Malone and general manager Jim Tanner must find another center, treating Veesaar’s return as unlikely.

UNC does have size in the frontcourt with Neoklis Avadalas, Maxim Logue and Jarin Stevenson. Avadalas and Stevenson are more versatile pieces who can move between the 3 and 4, while Logue is viewed strictly as a 4.

Stevenson, at 6-foot-10, is capable of playing the 5, but he profiles more as a stretch four than a traditional center. Veesaar was not a classic back-to-the-basket big either, but he played at 230 to 240 pounds, compared with Stevenson’s listed 215.

Many of the top bigs in the transfer portal have already committed elsewhere, but there are still viable options available.

UNC is also expected to explore overseas additions.

Tanner previously used his international connections to land Luka Bogavac from Montenegro, and Malone’s NBA background included scouting both domestically and abroad. That experience includes coaching what many consider Europe’s greatest NBA export, .