The Hawks made a trade in the second round of the NBA draft.
They agreed to send the No. 57 pick to the Clippers on Wednesday in exchange to move up to No. 52, according to a person familiar with the situation.
The Hawks selected North Carolina center Henri Veesaar.
ESPN first reported the news and noted the Hawks also included cash in the deal.
Numerous mock drafts projected Veesaar would go late in the first round. Since Veesaar dropped, the Hawks flipped a pick originally acquired from the Celtics last offseason to move up in the draft to select the nearly 7-0 center.
Veesaar (VEH-sar) averaged 17 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists with the Tar Heels last season. He also shot 42.6% from 3.
But the 22-year-old native of Tallinn, Estonia, also showed a solid touch around the rim and knows how to find the right lanes to get there.
Now, the Hawks have added another solid player who beefs up their frontcourt after they selected Zuby Ejiofor with the 23rd overall pick on Tuesday night. The Hawks also have veteran center Onyeka Okongwu and could potentially look to re-sign Jock Landale in free agency.
That could give the Hawks time to develop Veesaar’s skills on the defensive side, which scouts flagged as an area he could improve.
The Hawks will get to see Veesaar and their other two draft picks in Ejiofor and Kingston Fleming when they open NBA Summer League in Salt Lake City on July 4 against the Jazz.
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