Sports

Henri Veesaar Welcomed NBA Pay Cut By Rejecting $5 Million Attempts To Stunt Growth

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iStockphoto / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Henri Veesaar passed up an NIL payday to enter the NBA Draft.


North Carolina basketball player Henri Veesaar was not selected in the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft. He will likely be picked early in the second round on Wednesday.

His draft slot will come with a value much lower than earnings he could’ve made in college. Veesaar rejected massive NIL offers to go pro.

While the draft slide was unexpected, his future pay cut should not come as a surprise. Money was not the motivating factor in the center’s decision making. He prioritized development over a paycheck.

Henri Veesaar will be picked in the NBA Draft.

He is considered a Top 30 prospect. Most mock drafts projected a late first round selection. He’ll end up a few spots back of those predictions but should hear his name called early in Round 2.

Veesaar was a star in his lone season with North Carolina. The big man averaged 17 points a game to go along with 8.7 rebounds. That came after a three-year run at Arizona.

Veesaar took a redshirt as a sophomore. He could’ve returned to college for one final season if he’d wished. North Carolina reportedly could’ve offered $4.5 million. Other suitors were said to have gone as high as $6 million in the transfer portal.

He rejected those deals to enter the NBA. Veesaar declared in April after the Tar Heels’ season ended in the NCAA Tournament.

He knew he’d take a pay cut.

Or at least, he should’ve. There is always the possibility he received bad advice. It seems unlikely.

Henri Veesaar was never considered a Top 20 NBA Draft prospect. While the college returns of other projected first-rounders like Thomas Haugh and Braylon Mullins might’ve provided a path up the board, it was unlikely he’d be selected with one of the first 20 picks.

The latest mock drafts put him at No. 25 to the Lakers. That position didn’t move from ESPN’s April projections. In March, he was predicted by CBS to go No. 27 to the Celtics.

So, let’s look at best-case scenario. The No. 25 slot comes with a value of $16.3 million on the rookie scale. That comes to an average salary of around $4.08 million across four years. His rookie salary would’ve been the lowest of those four seasons.

Last year’s 25th pick, Jase Richardson, signed a $15.3 million deal with Orlando. His first-year salary was just under $3 million.

All of those totals are lower than the reported NIL deals previously offered to Veesaar. Obviously, the further he slides, the more money he misses out on. The next available NBA Draft slot is probably valued at less than $10 million (over four years).

Money didn’t play the largest role in Veesaar’s decision, though. He valued development and future growth in the NBA.

Veesaar doesn’t believe he would’ve gotten the best coaching and opportunity to fine-tune his skills at the college level. He wanted to go to the NBA regardless of the financial repercussions.

Henri Veesaar passed up a lot of money to enter the NBA Draft. He will make less money as a rookie than he would’ve in college. It’s a fact evident that’s been evident from the jump. He knew he’d take a pay cut all along.