Cooper Flagg Declares For NBA Draft, Lottery Will Determine His Team
Despite toying with the idea of returning to Duke for another season, Cooper Flagg declared for the 2025 NBA Draft and figures to be the #1 overall pick. Currently, the teams with the highest odds of receiving the top pick in the NBA Draft lottery are the Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards, and the Charlotte Hornets, who all have an equal 14% chance.
Flagg posted arguably the greatest freshman season in ACC history, setting several records and winning the league's Player of the Year award. Duke's season came to a disappointing end in the Final Four, when the Blue Devils were upset by the Houston Cougars thanks to a miraculous late-game comeback.
While Flagg hinted at a possible return to Duke, it's too difficult to pass up the opportunity to be the #1 pick in the NBA Draft. While NIL has made it more financially rewarding to stay in school, starting his NBA rookie contract sooner is clearly the better financial decision.
Plus, there's always the potential for an injury that could derail his chances of being the top selection. At the end of the day, this was the clear choice.
It's a tough blow for college basketball, though, because Flagg was a ratings monster. He helped lift the Final Four into some of the best TV viewership in years. But the NBA can definitely use the injection of some new blood to draw eyeballs.
Despite toying with the idea of returning to Duke for another season, Cooper Flagg declared for the 2025 NBA Draft and figures to be the #1 overall pick.
(Imagn Images)
Flagg has a few things going for him as a potential star in the NBA, chiefly that he's an American-born basketball superstar. Sure, some people are likely to make it about him being white if he's a massive draw out of the gate, but being American is more important to Americans than anything else.
The past two top picks in the NBA Draft, Zaccharie Risacher and Victor Wembanyama, are both from France. The biggest problem for the NBA with regard to Flagg is the teams that have the best chance to draft him. Utah certainly isn't a huge market and neither is Charlotte.
The best bet for the league would probably be the Brooklyn Nets, who have a 9% chance of winning the lottery. Still, in the era of social media and things like NBA League Pass, it might not even matter where he ends up. Flagg figures to immediately draw new fans to the league, something it desperately needs.