Hawks C Henri Veesaar tears ACL in workout, to miss ‘26-27

Atlanta Hawks rookie center Henri Veesaar tore the ACL in his right knee during a workout Sept. 15, the team said Monday.

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Veesaar has a surgery scheduled for October and the Hawks expect him to miss the 2026-27 season.

Veesaar, 22, was the 52nd overall pick in this June’s draft by the Los Angeles Clippers. He was traded to the Hawks on the same day for 57th overall pick Narcisse Ngoy and cash.

The 7-footer played two seasons at Arizona and spent 2025-26 at North Carolina, where he was selected to the All-ACC second team. Veesaar averaged 17.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 1.2 blocks in 31 games for the Tar Heels.

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The Hawks also signed guard Issac McKneely on Monday after the undrafted free agent played in seven games for Atlanta’s Summer League team.

McKneely spent his college career at Virginia (2022-25) and Louisville (2025-26) and was known as a 3-point marksman, making 329 triples in his career on 41.4% shooting. He averaged 11.1 points and 2.7 rebounds over 133 career games, including 10.9 points and 3.0 rebounds at Louisville last year.

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–Field Level Media

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This story was originally published September 21, 2026 at 4:50 PM.