September is right around the corner, and the Los Angeles Lakers are still searching for answers with two major holes on the roster. The louder conversation is about who starts at the presumed vacancy with one of the forward spots. The quieter, but still important, talking point revolves around what the Lakers do with the backup center minutes.
That second part could have been solved by now if Los Angeles managed to get their guy on night two of the 2026 NBA Draft. Henri Veesaar just slipped past them, and had he not, the Lakers would have a clear answer as to who can soak up notable minutes at the five behind Walker Kessler.
Lakers came so close to landing Henri Veesaar in the 2026 NBA Draft
Let us do a rewind to this past NBA Draft. Night one concluded and Veesaar was identified by most as a first-round talent who somehow managed to slip beyond the first 30 picks of the draft process. That created opportunity.
The Lakers bought a late second-round pick to nab someone. By the time they were on the clock, they sold that selection, with the presumption being that their guy was no longer available.
Was that Veesaar? Many suspected that to be the case.
The former North Carolina center was selected by the Atlanta Hawks just a few picks before the Lakers were on the clock. It comes off all too coincidental that Los Angeles held tight to their newly-acquired selection up until the end. Connecting the dots there delivers a more than fair assumption.
Henri Veesaar would be penciled in as the Lakers backup center if he was in Los Angeles
Despite landing Kevon Looney as a free agent this summer, it was reported the Lakers were still searching for more help at the center spot. That pursuit would have been unnecessary with Veesaar on the roster.
Given the first-round talent evaluation many had for the former Tar Heel, it would not have been difficult to imagine him as someone who could deliver around 10 quality minutes off the bench as a backup. The Lakers would have had a talented tandem with Kessler and Veesaar.
Unfortunately for them, they are still stuck searching elsewhere. Sandro Mamukelashvili will give the team opportunistic minutes at the five, and should be slotted as the primary backup for now, but his defensive limitations will force certain matchups to call for the type of center that he is not.
Veesaar could have answered that call with ease. Unfortunately for the Lakers, the Hawks nabbed him away just a few selections before they had their choice.
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