Cooper Flagg has more incentives to return to Jon Scheyer’s Duke Blue Devils basketball program than anyone, urged to spurn Mavs
“Flagg has as much incentive to play another college season as anyone. First of all, with the emergence of NIL allowing players to earn a lot of money in college, Flagg will not lose out on as much money as he previously would have if he decides to pull out, especially with how popular he already is. Secondly, all reporting has indicated that Flagg cares deeply about winning and is a competitive freak. The Blue Devils fell short this year in the Final Four, and returning for a sophomore season would give him a chance at redemption while still being 19 at the time of next year’s draft. Lastly, and the most important point in my opinion, the Mavericks have made it clear that their goal is to win now. This will likely result in Flagg playing out of position, not getting the reps he needs to grow, and dealing with frustration when the organization prioritizes two players in their mid-30s over him for the next few years,” Trink wrote.
Flagg’s hypothetical sophomore NIL value would likely approach his NBA salary
Duke Blue Devils basketball coach Jon Scheyer won’t get Cooper Flagg back for the 2025-26 campaign after the projected No. 1 overall 2025 NBA draft pick led the program to a Final Four berth last season.
Mavs Moneyball’s David Trink doubts Dallas’s ability to surround Flagg with a tenable long-term situation and believes Flagg’s best bet would be to return to Durham for one more run in college.Waiting a year might put him in a position to be taken by his favorite team growing up, the Boston Celtics, should the team enter a temporary rebuild as Jayson Tatum recovers from an Achilles injury suffered during the Eastern Conference Semifinals.
Flagg won’t be doing that, though. The Mavs aren’t trading the draft’s No. 1 overall pick either.
Dallas GM Nico Harrison and the team’s front office have work to do, but he’ll have the chance to do it with Flagg as his centerpiece. Flagg will be featured in whatever offense the front office provides Jason Kidd.
Still, it’s fair to wonder if Flagg could do better than a franchise that many think fumbled a building block mere months ago in the Luka Doncic trade.
