North Carolina has already had a busy offseason, from its lengthy coaching search to the hiring of former NBA champion Michael Malone.
Now that the dust has settled, Malone and his staff must land key transfer-portal targets while convincing others to stay in Chapel Hill. They also need to make sure their prized high school commitments stay true to Carolina. Once that is settled, they can start putting in motion the blueprint for what North Carolina should be in the Malone era.
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Here are some things Malone and his staff must do in the short and long term — beyond just winning games and trophies.
Retain Henri Veesaar and Jarin Stevenson
Feb 7, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels center Henri Veesaar (13) reacts with forward Jarin Stevenson (15) in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
Malone must do whatever he can to bring back two critical pieces of his frontcourt.
After transferring from Arizona, Veesaar averaged 17.0 points and 8.7 rebounds, ranking eighth in scoring and fourth in rebounding in the ACC. He shot 60.8% from the field, second in the ACC and 21st nationally, and led the Tar Heels in 3-point percentage at 42.6%, the best mark on the team among players with at least 50 attempts. He recorded 15 double-doubles, second most in the conference and 17th nationally.
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Stevenson averaged 8.1 points, 4.4 rebounds and 0.9 assists per game while shooting 47% from the field and 29.5% from 3-point range. He was a valuable piece for the Tar Heels because of his two-way versatility and proved he could start and play meaningful minutes — something he never had the opportunity to do at Alabama.
Veesaar is projected to be either a late first-round or second-round pick, depending on the mock draft. Stevenson could enter the transfer portal and have plenty of suitors, but he is a Chapel Hill native.
The good thing about Malone’s arrival is his work with big men, most notably Nikola Jokic. Given his NBA credentials, that should help when he makes his pitch for why they should come back.
Lock in commitments of Dylan Mingo and Maximo Adams
Five-star recruit Dylan Mingo
North Carolina must do what it can to keep its two incoming bluechip freshmen, point guard Dylan Mingo and small forward Maximo Adams.
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Mingo, who is a consensus top 10 player nationally and the No. 1 prospect from the state of New York, is committed to the Tar Heels but has yet to sign. His older brother, Kayden, just enter the transfer portal and it should get very interesting in the coking weeks.
Adams, who is considered the favorite to replace the outgoing Caleb Wilson, is a consensus top 25 prospect nationally. While he has signed with UNC, he could still choose another school of hos choosing.
Player development
Jan 29, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone coaches against the New York Knicks during the first quarter at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
If there was one issue that plagued UNC throughout the Davis era, it was the lack of player development. A prime example is former Tar Heel Elliot Cadeau and his success at Michigan.
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Cadeau was an inconsistent yet solid point guard at UNC. Davis and the Tar Heels let him go, and he became an important part of Michigan’s national championship team, winning the NCAA Tournament’s Most Outstanding Player award. He averaged 10.5 points and six assists per game while shooting 41.1% from the field and a career-high 37.6% from 3-point range.
His replacement at UNC was Colorado State transfer Kyan Evans, who averaged 10.6 points and 3.1 assists while shooting 47.1% from the field and 44.6% from 3-point range, the latter ranking 24th nationally. However, Evans struggled mightily at UNC, averaging just four points and 2.5 assists per game while shooting 32.8% from the field. He was eventually benched for freshman Derek Dixon, who also had his share of struggles.
Malone was one of the better player developers in the NBA, given his work with Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. UNC’s players will almost certainly benefit from that.
Rebuild NBA pipeline
Toronto Raptors player Vince Carter (R) holds the ball away from Milwaukee Bucks player Glenn Robinson (L) at the NBA All-Star East team practice session 12 February, 2000 at the Arena in Oakland, California. After an absence of one year the NBA All-Star game pitting the best of the East and West will be played 13 February, 2000.
Yes, championships matter. North Carolina has made three Final Fours and won one national title without a surefire lottery pick on any of those three teams. However, having recognizable names in the NBA who represent your school also matters. The players trying to get to UNC are thinking about what comes after college — the NBA.
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Right now, Carolina has only eight active players on NBA rosters, which is tied for the 12th most with Villanova, and just three of them are starters. That’s also less than programs such as Baylor and Gonzaga, whose success has mainly come in the 21st century. Kentucky (27) and Duke (25), programs on the same tier as the Tar Heels, have far more.
Even worse, the last time North Carolina had a representative in the NBA All-Star Game was Vince Carter in 2007. Yeah, that’s a long time ago.
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This article originally appeared on Tar Heels Wire: UNC Basketball: What Michael Malone must fix
