Which NBA lottery teams need Cooper Flagg the most?
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While Monday’s lottery will determine which team will have the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, the player going in that spot is already a certainty.
Former Duke forward Cooper Flagg is the locked-in top prospect. He entered the 2024-25 NCAA season in that spot, and only built on his reputation, averaging 19.2 points and 7.5 rebounds, while shooting 48.1% from the field. He became the fifth freshman to win the Naismith Player of the Year award while leading the Blue Devils to the Final Four.
Flagg, a 6-foot-9 wing, can score at all three levels, fluidly facilitate the ball to his teammates and initiate an offense. He’s also a solid on-ball defender, and uses his length and intelligence to disrupt sets when off the ball. He does it all without demanding additional touches or recognition who could easily fit into whichever team is lucky enough to win Monday’s lottery. Any organization would welcome Flagg, but some need him more than others.
Let’s count down five teams that would most benefit from acquiring a generational talent like Flagg.
5. Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks have just a 1.8% chance of landing the No. 1 pick, but, boy, do they need it. Bringing in Flagg is like a get-out-of-jail-free card for an organization desperate to win back its fan-base after trading away Luka Doncic. Flagg would fit perfectly into general manager Nico Harrison’s “defense wins championships” motto and would be a natural running-mate for Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving, once he returns from a torn ACL.
One of the many issues with the Mavericks trading Doncic was that they narrowed their championship-contending window as they’re relying on two stars over the age of 32 with a deep injury history. Not only would Flagg help them compete now, but he’d help them sustain a future of contention.
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4. Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets aren’t as desperate for Flagg as some of their peers, but they might present the best overall basketball fit. Flagg would be the perfect player to pair with Lamelo Ball and Brandon Miller.
Ball is an elite passer that could maximize Flagg’s athleticism, and a porous defender that would benefit from a stalwart like Flagg constantly having his back. Miller is a potent scorer who occupies the same position as Flagg, but operates completely differently. Miller needs the ball in his hands to create for himself, while Flagg doesn’t. If they learned to play off one another, they could become the NBA’s next great wing duo.
3. Washington Wizards
While the Wizards went 18-64 this past season, it was clear they had some pieces worth building around. So, if they settled for the No. 2 pick for the second straight season and took someone like former Rutgers guard Dylan Harper, they’d be just fine for the future.
Their young players include three first-rounders from last year’s draft – Carlton “Bub” Carrington, Kyshawn George, and No. 2 pick Alex Sarr – who all showed chops at both ends of the court. While none of those three are likely to develop into a team’s top play-making option, their two-way versatility is perfect to compliment a budding talent like Flagg. If they got the first pick and selected Flagg, the Wizards would move right onto the radar as a team to look out for in the Eastern Conference.
2. Utah Jazz
The Jazz have some consistent veterans in Lauri Markkanen and Collin Sexton, and some quality young players, such as Keyonte George and Walker Kessler, but they don’t have a foundational piece to build around. Getting Flagg alone won’t turn Utah into an immediate playoff contender in a tough Western Conference, but it will certainly give the team some direction.
Markkanen and Sexton might be solid, but they’re not good enough to uplift a young team. And George and Kessler aren’t good enough to build around. Flagg is the foundational piece they need to start shaping their future. Utah would try to develop him into their primary ball-handler, initiator, and go-to guy on both ends to lead them back to the playoffs.
1. Brooklyn Nets
The Nets have been lost in mediocrity or below it since trading away Kevin Durant during the 2022-23 season. It was a move they had to make because they had lost all their draft capital when they acquired Durant’s running-mate, James Harden, and that duo had run its course. The Nets haven’t owned their pick since 2021 and don’t have much of a solid core to build around.
Flagg would change that immediately. He’d give Brooklyn direction, and a face of a team in a bigger market which craves to rival the New York Knicks. Flagg is the Nets’ ticket out of irrelevancy. He also hails from Maine and who would relish the chance to stay on the East Coast near his family.
The Nets finished this past season with the sixth-worst record in the NBA and have a 9% chance of getting the first pick. So, it’s unlikely they will make that leap and get Flagg, but they are the team in most desperate need of a franchise cornerstone.
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