NBA rumors: How Hawks snaked Henri Veesaar from Lakers amid draft slide

The Los Angeles Lakers made a trade into the second round of the NBA Draft in a reported attempt to snag big man Henri Veesaar, only to have the Atlanta Hawks beat them to the punch. The North Carolina center was a projected first round pick, even a possible lottery pick, but he slid out of the first round on day one of the draft, piquing the Lakers’ interest.

The Lakers ended up making a trade with the Chicago Bulls to get the No. 56 overall pick in the NBA Draft, and were reportedly trying to move up as high as the 30s to get Henri Veesaar before the Hawks swooped in, as per ClutchPoints’ NBA insider Brett Siegel.

“They [Lakers] were having conversations with virtually every team in that 35-40 range, they were talking at length with the Oklahoma City Thunder … they were discussing a trade for the 37th pick … nothing really happened there,” Siegel reported during a new episode of ‘Clutch Scoops.’

“They are telling teams, ‘do not take him because he will not sign a two-way contract with you, we are going to guarantee him.’”

Siegel also reported that Veesaar and his representation weren’t necessarily set on going to the Lakers, they were just trying to find a good spot for him where he could potentially get a guaranteed standard deal. That team ended up being the Hawks who pulled off a trade with the LA Clippers to jump ahead of both the Lakers and New York Knicks in the Veesaar race.

The Hawks did have a need for frontcourt depth, and now they get a potential steal in the late second round. Fans are no doubt excited to see Veesaar on the court during summer league next month.

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