Five years after Austin Reaves declined interest from the Detroit Pistons to help ensure he'd go undrafted and land with the Los Angeles Lakers, Henri Veesaar attempted a similar tactic. Los Angeles traded into the second round, Veesaar slid within range, and the team's dream scenario seemed to be falling into place.
Dan Woike of The Athletic reported that the Lakers had been linked to Veesaar as he slid down the board despite being a fairly heralded prospect.
Had been a lot of noise with the Lakers and Veesaar, but the Hawks jump them and get him in a trade with the Clippers.
— Dan Woike (@DanWoikeSports) June 25, 2026
Unfortunately, the Atlanta Hawks struck before the Lakers could get their man—and Brett Siegel of Clutch Points is reporting that Veesaar's agency didn't want him to land in Los Angeles.
Veesaar's agent was guiding him to the Hawks, who had been working to trade up and add him in front of teams like the Knicks and Lakers.
— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) June 25, 2026
They did not want him in LA. https://t.co/Dq8JxPGXkx
Unfortunately, the strategy that helped Reaves end up with the Lakers ultimately cost the purple and gold their shot at their dream second-round pick. Los Angeles seemed to corroborate that belief when they traded the very pick they bought to move into Round 2.
Lakers bought a pick then sold it...clearly the player they wanted was no longer there https://t.co/yoZJvSmKqz
— Trevor Lane (@TrevorLane) June 25, 2026
In the end, one of the Lakers' tried and true draft-night strategies—one that also brought Bronny James to Los Angeles—worked against them.
Henri Veesaar pulled an Austin Reaves, but ended up elsewhere
Veesaar had obvious appeal to a Lakers team in dire need of depth at center. He stands at 6'11.25" without shoes, boasts a 7'2" wingspan, and is a tremendous shooter, gifted passer, and respectable rebounder who had clear pick-and-pop potential in a hypothetical pairing with Luka Doncic.
In 2025-26, Veesaar recorded averages of 17.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.2 offensive boards, 2.1 assists, 1.2 blocks, and 1.3 three-point field goals made per game on .608/.426/.615 shooting.
Unfortunately, the Lakers will have to go back to the drawing board as they search for answers at center. They drafted a compelling 3-and-D wing in Cameron Carr to help shore up the perimeter, but still have a void to address at center.
They'll now look to free agency in hopes of landing a starting-caliber big man who fits Doncic's preferred archetype of a lob target who can protect the paint.
The silver lining is that, per Siegel, Veesaar didn't want to play for the Lakers. One can easily make the logical conclusion based on that report that Los Angeles shouldn't have drafted him in the first place. The question simply remains: How can they make meaningful additions at a pivotal position with many of the top available players entering restricted free agency?
That question will need to be answered, but for now, they can blame their own tactics for the polarizing strategy Veesaar enlisted at the 2026 NBA Draft.
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