The first round of the 2026 NBA Draft is scheduled for June 23, and the Celtics currently hold the 27th pick. Boston's top priority should be strengthening its front court, and according to Bleacher Report's Zach Buckley, the Celtics should select North Carolina center Henri Veesaar.
"The Celtics typically load up with as many shooters as they can get, and they naturally have an affinity for floor-spacing bigs," Buckley, wrote on Thursday. "Once financial constraints forced them to split from the likes of Al Horford and Kristaps Porziņģis in 2025, they pivoted to Luka Garza and Nikola Vučević.
"But Vučević is a free agent now, and Garza is unproven as a rotation regular, so Boston could continue its stretch-big search with Veesaar. He is a 7'0" play-finisher both around the rim and beyond the 3-point arc."
Veesaar was in college for four seasons, spending his first three years at Arizona before heading to North Carolina last year. The 7-foot center took off last season, averaging 17 points and 8.7 rebounds per game.
The Celtics could consider drafting Veesaar and allowing him to develop during the upcoming season. By the 2027-28 campaign, they might realistically incorporate him into the starting lineup, which could leave Neemias Queta out of a job.
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