New North Carolina head coach Michael Malone has no time to settle into his new digs. The transfer portal officially opens Tuesday, and if UNC wants to win big right away, it has to nail this free agency period.

The last time Malone coached college basketball was in 2001 as an assistant for Manhattan. He has never navigated the transfer portal before, so this is definitely uncharted waters.

Here's what the next steps could look like for Malone and UNC in a money-frenzied free agency.

Objective No. 1: Overpay if you have to for big man Henri Veesaar.

North Carolina's roster has a lot of bodies with eligibility left next year, but only one true, unquestioned stud. Veesaar has one year of eligibility remaining and thrived in Chapel Hill last season, averaging 17.0 points, 8.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists while shooting 43% from downtown. Stretch 5s are always a coveted archetype, and Veesaar is one of the best in the country. Veesaar and Illinois' Tomislav Ivisic were the only two 7-footers to drain 40 or more 3-pointers last season.

Veesaar could dip his toes into the NBA Draft waters for the first time in his career, but his stock remains a bit unclear amid a deep big man class in the 2026 NBA Draft. Veesaar is a fringe first-round pick, at best. He'd likely head to the NBA Draft Combine next month in Chicago looking for a guarantee, which franchises have been hesitant to hand out to maintain flexibility.

North Carolina could offer a lucrative opportunity for Veesaar to skip the Combine and just cash in, similarly to what Texas Tech handed JT Toppin last spring. Toppin eschewed the NBA Draft, announced his return to Texas Tech in early April of 2025, which set the Red Raiders up to go to work in the transfer portal without the threat that Toppin could keep his name in the NBA Draft at the last second.

Even if it's a gargantuan number north of $3 million, Veesaar has a chance to outplay that contract next season under Malone's watchful eye, while providing UNC with some much-needed stability. Plus, UNC wouldn't have to get into bidding wars in the portal for lots of bigs who aren't as proven or productive as Veesaar. Keeping Veesaar would be similar to landing a top-five transfer in the 2026 haul.

Snapshot of North Carolina's current 2026-27 roster:

Gone: (NBA Draft or exhausted eligibility): Caleb Wilson, Seth Trimble

Incoming freshman: Guard Dylan Mingo, wing Maximo Adams

In the portal:

Guard Isaiah Denis

Guard Derek Dixon

Guard  Jaydon Young

Can return

Backcourt: Luka Bogavac, Kyan Evans, Dylan Mingo

Wings: Jonathan Powell, Maximo Adams

Frontcourt: Henri Veesaar, James Brown, Zayden High, Jarin Stevenson, Ivan Matlekovic

Objective No. 2: Land a proven lead guard

North Carolina has a collection of solid guards on the roster right now, but no sure-fire superstars. The Tar Heels need a dude. Pairing a paint-touch guard with a 5-man like Veesaar who can step out and drain treys makes so much sense for North Carolina's offense in 2026-27. While the point guard market isn't overflowing with proven dudes yet, there are certainly some interesting options on the board.

Villanova transfer Acaden Lewis was one of the best freshmen in the Big East last year. Lewis was a rim-pressure machine for the Wildcats, and he ranked 38th nationally with a 33.7 assist rate. The lefty guard is a true floor general who can break defenses down off the bounce. Wisconsin's John Blackwell is another hot name. He is the No. 2-rated player in the transfer portal and the No. 1 guard, per 247Sports' scouting department.

There are plenty of options here, but there's no question that UNC is behind the 8-ball on the timing front, especially if Malone clears out sitting general manager, Jim Tanner, in favor of someone else in his circle.

Objective No. 3: Buff up the frontcourt depth

Loading up on size is a quick way to insert some high-floor outcomes into UNC's range of potential outcomes. Malone knows this all too well from his NBA days where skilled size is everything. Wilson is going to be a lottery pick, so North Carolina will need a jolt of athleticism, power and thump. Some form of 4-man who can play next to Veesaar and avoid positional overlap would go a long way.
The top names currently in that department would include Kansas' Bryson Tiller, Oregon's KJ Evans, Utah's Keanu Dawes or LSU's Jalen Reed, to just name a few.