It was all a bunch of smoke. In the several hours leading up to the start of the 2026 NBA Draft, Pelicans rumors were running rampant. Whether it was talks of trading Herb Jones or Trey Murphy III, making a move into the lottery, or trying to acquire Nate Ament, the rumors were endless, and yet they all amounted to nothing. The Pelicans made a selection in round one in the same spot they entered the night, selecting at No. nowhere.
Amid all the chaos of the 2026 NBA Draft, a golden opportunity emerged for the New Orleans Pelicans as some incredibly talented players slipped into the second round. High-profile players like Meleek Thomas, Isaiah Evans, Baba Miller, and Ryan Conwell all fell into round two.Â
Out of the group of players that slipped into the draft's second day, one guy stands tall (literally) above the rest as someone Joe Dumars should be looking to trade up for: Henri Veesaar.
Henri Veesaar is worth trading up for
Out of everyone that could’ve potentially slipped his way into round two, Veesaar wasn’t near the top of my list based on his size and floor spacing ability alone. But here we are.
The University of North Carolina big man enters the second day of draft festivities as the highest-ranked center on nearly every major outlet's board and for good reason. He had a strong senior season, averaging 17.0 points and 8.7 rebounds per game while shooting 60.8 percent from the field. Veesaar also shot an impressive 42.6 percent from three on 3.0 attempts per game. His ability to be a threat in both the pick and roll and pop created a fun offensive dynamic that made Carolina’s attack on that end extremely versatile.
His ability to step outside and knock down the jumper at 6-foot-11.25 (barefoot) is very rare, especially when paired with his other skills. While Veesaar isn’t an elite rim protector or post defender, he does a good job at recovering and using his length to block shots. Offensively, he’s a very good rim finisher. Similar to the defensive end, he does sometimes get pushed around in the post on offense, but he’s such a beast on the glass that even when he does miss, he’s normally getting his own rebound.
The swing skill with Veesaar is his passing. One of the most common things UNC ran last season was a big-on-big pick-and-roll with Veesaar as the ball handler and No. 4 pick Caleb Wilson as the rollman. Because Veesaar was such a threat at the rim, he drew a ton of attention and then made easy short roll reads for easy layups and dunks for Wilson. If that part of his game continues to grow, then he could truly become one of the league's most versatile offensive fives.
Throw his unique skillset offensively and strong rebounding ability next to Zion Williamson in the frontcourt, watch out.
New Orleans is slotted to pick at No. 58, and there’s no world where Veesaar will still be on the board when that pick rolls around. But trading up into that top-40 shouldn’t be difficult or cost the Pelicans much. If Joe Dumars plans on making day two of the draft count more than day one, trading up for Henri Veesaar is a move he must make.
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