It seemed like a good sign for new North Carolina coach Michael Malone when the transfer portal opened and closed without Henri Veesaar ever entering it, especially considering the 7-foot center is considered by most evaluators to be little more than a borderline first-round pick in the 2026 NBA Draft.

In other words, in this era of the sport, Veesaar appears to have more monetary value as a tremendous college player than he has as an NBA prospect, which is among the reasons it was reasonable to project him to return to UNC for what would've been his senior year.

But CBS Sports' Matt Norlander reported Friday that Veesaar will enter the 2026 NBA Draft -- and that he now plans to remain in it, meaning the Tar Heels' projected roster for next season has taken a big hit. With Veesaar projected on the roster, the Tar Heels were No. 14 in Version 10 of the 2026-27 CBS Sports Preseason Top 25 And 1 college basketball rankings. Without Veesaar projected on the roster, North Carolina has been removed from Version 11 of the Top 25 And 1.

Veesaar averaged 17.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.4 blocks in 31.5 minutes per game this past season for a North Carolina team that was ranked 11th in the Associated Press Top 25 poll before projected top-five pick Caleb Wilson suffered multiple injuries that ended his season on Feb. 10. Needless to say, Malone and his staff still have time to add to UNC's roster in a way that could push the Tar Heels back into future versions of the Top 25 And 1 -- and I suspect that they will. But, as currently constructed, North Carolina is out of the Top 25 And 1.