The Atlanta Hawks moved up in the second round of the 2026 NBA Draft to secure Henri Veesaar, acquiring the No. 52 pick from the Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for No. 57 and cash, according to NBA insider Shams Charania.
Veesaar, a 6-foot-11 forward/center from Estonia, was selected by the Clippers at No. 52 before the trade was completed. Atlanta targeted him after a senior season at North Carolina in which he became a major offensive contributor.
The Hawks entered the draft coming off a 46-36 season that earned them the Southeast Division title and the No. 6 seed in the Eastern Conference. Atlanta reached the playoffs but fell to the New York Knicks in the first round, losing the series 4-2.
Veesaar’s final college season showed the development that likely attracted Atlanta. Playing 31.4 minutes per game for North Carolina, he averaged 17.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.6 steals and 1.2 blocks across 31 games, starting all of them.
The big man was efficient around the basket throughout his career, shooting 60.3% from the field over 97 college games. In 2025-26, he connected on 60.8% of his field-goal attempts while also expanding his perimeter game, making 42.6% of his 3-point attempts on 3.0 attempts per game.
Veesaar’s shooting profile gives Atlanta another frontcourt option with spacing ability. His 2025-26 season included 1.3 made threes per game, while his career 3-point percentage settled at 38.3% over his college career.
The Hawks also held the No. 23 pick in the first round, where they selected St. John’s forward Zuby Ejiofor, and added Veesaar as another frontcourt piece on draft night.
Atlanta originally owned the No. 57 pick, which was sent to the Clippers in the move. Los Angeles used that selection on French forward Narcisse Ngoy, a 6-foot-8 prospect who spent the 2025-26 season with Poitiers Basket 86 in France’s second division.
Ngoy averaged 9.9 points and 11.8 rebounds in 38 games, playing 24.8 minutes per game. He shot 68.2% from the field and recorded 2.6 blocks per game, continuing a development path centered around rebounding and interior defense.
