The NBA Draft Combine is now over, and there are three Tar Heels that could have their name called on draft night should nobody withdraw their name. Two of those Tar Heels have already fully committed, but Matt Able is the guy that may or may not decide to return to college and play under Michael Malone. There is also the Seth Trimble situation, but that situation is somewhat complicated.

But now that we’re done with the combine, ESPN released their latest NBA Mock Draft yesterday, and there was some movement that UNC fans may be interested in. That said, let’s take a look at where ESPN has each player landing in the draft.

Caleb Wilson —1st Round, 4th overall pick to the Chicago Bulls

There was a lot of speculation before the combine that Caleb Wilson could potentially move into the top three of the NBA Draft, but that possibility has disappeared according to most outlets. While NBA scouts have stated there’s no real order when it comes to the top four players of the draft, it is feeling more and more like Wilson is destined to become a Chicago Bull.

The Bulls have finally decided to tear everything down to the studs and are officially in rebuild mode. With a new front office, a new head coach that hasn’t been named yet, loads of cap space, and two first-round picks, the Bulls are in an ideal situation to build their team around Wilson. He could end up being their best draftee since Derek Rose, so he’ll have big shoes to fill in the Windy City.

Henri Veesaar — 1st Round, 25th overall to the Los Angeles Lakers

The Estonian center could find himself in an interesting situation to start his NBA career should things play out the way that ESPN is projecting. Henri Veesaar could potentially get drafted by the Lakers, a team that seemingly will be without LeBron James for the first time in years. Of course they still have Luka Doncic, but what they don’t have is depth at center, which is where Veesaar comes in.

What’s worth noting is that media outlets do not seem to agree when it comes to their projections for Veesaar. For instance, Yahoo Sports has Veesaar going 20th overall to the San Antonio Spurs, which is a pretty big jump up the boards compared to ESPN. As long as he lands somewhere within the 20-30th pick range, he’ll likely be satisfied with his decision to stay in the draft. The excitement may wear off if he is picked up by the Dallas Mavericks, though. If you know you know.

Matt Able — 2nd Round, 33rd overall to the Brooklyn Nets

Here is the projection everyone has been waiting for. Former NC State guard Matt Able is currently projected by ESPN go very early in the second round should he stay in the NBA Draft. Much like the Veesaar situation, though, this one isn’t easy to figure out — Yahoo Sports has Able as the 42nd pick to the San Antonio Spurs, which is significantly lower than ESPN is predicting.

While I would love to say that Matt Able returning to UNC feels likely, the truth is that we just don’t know. Taking second round money in the NIL era is really hard, but also some players are more than willing to take the risk if they’re just done with the school aspect of their careers. Able would have a chance to develop and get drafted higher should he stay in college, but let’s be honest: he’d develop in the league too. There’s no wrong decision for Able, but it would be awesome if Michael Malone didn’t have to go back into the portal to get someone that is inevitably less talented than Able to fill out his roster.

What do you think of ESPN’s latest NBA Mock Draft? How are you feeling about Matt Able’s impending decision to leave or stay in the draft? Let us know in the comments below.

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