NBA Draft: Best Landing Spots for Duke’s Cooper Flagg.
After a historic freshman season at Duke, Cooper Flagg is as good as a guarantee gets for being selected first overall. The 2025 Naismith Player of the Year will most likely find himself a Dallas Maverick on June 25, but given recent Mavericks transactions, it’s impossible to rule out a trade that would send the pick and Flagg elsewhere.
With Flagg’s superstar potential, the 18-year-old phenom can alter the course of any organization that lands him. Flagg has been revered by many as the best American-born prospect in years, with some even dating back to LeBron James in 2003 to find a better prospect than him. In the case of Flagg, it’s hard to go wrong in terms of finding the right fit to acquire his talents.Players often receive the label of “Jack of all trades, master of none.” In the case of Flagg, a more appropriate title would be “Jack of all trades, master of most.” Flagg led Duke in all five major statistical categories in his freshman campaign while leading them to a Final Four appearance.
His complete offensive package, combined with a day-one pro-ready defensive skillset, cements him as the best player in the draft. This has led to comparisons being made of Flagg to the likes of Kawhi Leonard and Jayson Tatum. Flagg himself has previously compared his offensive game to Tatum, and his defensive game to Magic forward Jonathan Isaac.
That being said, which three realistic landing spots would be the best matches for Flagg?
. Dallas Mavericks
The obvious choice, and the most realistic landing spot for Flagg is the Mavericks. After trading away perennial All-NBA member Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis, Mavericks GM Nico Harrison has put a clear emphasis on defense – Flagg’s strong-suit. Pairing Flagg’s lockdown defense next to Anthony Davis, Derrick Lively, Daniel Gafford, Naji Marshall and P.J. Washington has the potential to become the best defensive front-court unit in the association.
Washington Wizards
After the Mavericks, the realistic chances of any other team landing Flagg fall off a cliff. However, after Harrison and the Mavericks pulled off one of the most unexpected blockbuster trades in history in February, it’s impossible to rule out a draft-day trade. Should another team make the move to acquire Flagg, the Washington Wizards could find their new franchise cornerstone.
San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs seemingly have a backcourt set for the future, recently pairing All-Star De’Aaron Fox with 2025 Rookie of the Year Winner Stephon Castle. If they were to trade the No. 2 overall pick instead of selecting the projected Dylan Harper, it could be in an attempt to move up one spot to first
