When the first round of the 2026 NBA Draft concluded, many were surprised to see Henri Veesaar still on the board. It created a clear opportunity for the Los Angeles Lakers to swoop in and grab a rotational center to go with the excellent selection of Cameron Carr at pick 24.
For a moment, it looked like that could be exactly what the Lakers were doing. Los Angeles bought a pick at the end of the second round in hopes of their guy being there at pick 56. It almost happened.
Second rounds are tricky. Agents have a lot of added control to try and dictate where their clients should go. Lakers fans do not have to look further than Austin Reaves, whose representation once turned down the Detroit Pistons, for an example of that. With a talent as good as Veesaar sliding, many suspected that was him trying to force his way to a specific destination.
If that place was going to be Los Angeles, the Atlanta Hawks stepped in to shut that down. They moved up to the 52nd overall pick to cut off Veesaar's route to the Lakers. Just like that, Rob Pelinka and his front office suddenly traded away the 56th pick they acquired.
Lakers' dream Henri Veesaar addition barely slipped through their fingers
Perhaps the Lakers were eyeing someone else other than Veesaar. However, considering how long Los Angeles held onto that 56th pick, it would be more than fair to estimate that was likely the guy who they had bought their way back into the second round of the NBA Draft for.
That is especially true considering there were those who confidently speculated about the Lakers-Veesaar union. LA beat reporter Dan Woike was among the bunch.
Woike said: "Had been a lot of noise with the Lakers and Veesaar, but the Hawks jump them and get him in a trade with the [Los Angeles] Clippers."
He was not the only one who thought something could have been up there. At the very least, Trevor Lane saw what everyone else did, too. The Lakers had someone in mind, but the prospect did not make it to pick 56.
Lane said: "Lakers bought a pick then sold it...clearly the player they wanted was no longer there."
There is no shot that Veesaar, who was a borderline first-round talent, was slipping that far without something going on behind the scenes. It was baffling to watch. If his agents were trying to get the former North Carolina Tar Heels center to the Lakers, the Hawks ignored the messages and empathically denied Los Angeles of what would have been yet another massive steal in this draft.
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