10 NBA Teams That Need Cooper Flagg the Most

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Among the big stories ahead of the 2025 NBA Draft is the one that asks who will capture the Flagg. Maine native Cooper Flagg has been in the spotlight for the last few seasons and has instantly made waves during his freshman season at Duke.

At just 17 starting the season, he made highlight plays on both ends pretty quickly. And he’s shown exactly why he’s considered a must-draft player for those seeking a star.

Flagg’s versatility on both ends of the floor will make him a 30-minute-a-night player on most teams who take a chance on him. He will be one of the first few names to come off the draft board, and whoever wins the sweepstakes will get a franchise-changing guy.

Let’s look at the 10 NBA teams that could most use the Blue Devil as they try and turn their fortunes around in the 25-26 campaign:

10. Los Angeles Lakers

GettyDalton Knecht.

It’s no secret that the Lakers are sort of in no-man’s land. Coming off losing eight NBA playoff games in a row, the team hasn’t exactly been able to make a name for itself as a world-beater in the first part of the 2024-25 season.

LeBron James is nearing 40, while his running mate Anthony Davis will be 32 by the time the season ends. Both of them have had storied tenures in LA but don’t seem to get enough help.

They’ve gotten some strong performances from rookie Dalton Knecht, but there isn’t much youth here outside of that.

They would need to score a first-round pick in a midseason deal to even sniff the sweepstakes, but anything is possible.

9. San Antonio Spurs

GettyVictor Wembanyama.

After a number of years of straight mediocrity and losing, the Spurs have finally been showing signs of life. They’ve drafted well in the last couple of years, and it looks like Victor Wembanyama is exactly the franchise-changing superstar they expected him to be.

With highlight reel dunks, threes, and blocks, there is little that the Frenchman hasn’t been able to do.

While a healthy Devin Vassell can be considered the second-option on this team, adding Flagg’s athleticism and defensive versatility to this lineup could put it over the top.

They have been winning a bit more so the odds aren’t as strong, but considering that Atlanta won the lottery last year with just a 3% chance of doing so, anything is possible in San Antonio.

8. New Orleans Pelicans

GettyDejounte Murray.

The amount of shear losing that hit the Pelicans in the first month of the season has shocked everybody. Injuries to almost every single starter and rotational player forced them to dig deep and to even sign guys out of the league for three years to make a difference.

They will of course get healthy, but as of December 9, the team was 5-20 overall. With Brandon Ingram being a very likely trade candidate and Zion Williamson dealing with injuries yet again, there is a chance the team winds up missing the play-in and has a chance here.

With defensive versatility in the lineup in the form of Dejounte Murray, Yves Missi and Herb Jones, Flagg would fit in beautifully. Time will tell if they stay in the sweepstakes, but NO has won the lottery a few times before, so the odds are real here.

7. Philadelphia 76ers

GettyJared McCain and Kyle Lowry.

Coming into the season, the 76ers having a chance to land a top pick in the draft felt pretty unrealistic. They had just added Paul George and a number of vets to the team and looked like a bunch ready to contend in the Eastern Conference. But similar to the Pelicans, the injury bug has bitten hard.

Philly took what very much looks like the Rookie of the Year favorite Jared McCain with the No. 16 pick in the draft. He has impressed with shot-making and play-making while even carrying them to a few wins.

The team has lost and lost though with no sign of when Joel Embiid will be healthy enough to play regularly.

With all of the flux here, they may wind up in the lottery with the chance to draft another Duke player Top 3.

6. Charlotte Hornets

GettyLaMelo Ball.

The name of the game for the Hornets through early December has unfortunately been the same as it’s long been: Injuries knocking out key players and having to use end-of-bench guys in key situations.

Healthy LaMelo Ball has been a Top 2 scorer in the league this year, but he’s already been sidelined by various ailments. They lost Grant Williams for the year with an ACL injury, while they finally got former lottery pick Mark Williams back after a nearly year-long injury absence.

This is a team that is still blazing with potential. They took Brandon Miller in the lottery last year and have seen the No. 2 pick be an absolute shot-maker. They have Miles Bridges back and making plays at the PF spot.

Pairing Bridges and Flagg with Miller and Ball in the backcourt would have the team as a must-see every night. Charlotte has a few veterans they can sell at the deadline if they’d want to wait one more draft to build it up.

It might be worth it.

5. Toronto Raptors

GettyRJ Barrett and Scottie Barnes.

The losses have piled up in the first part of the year for Toronto, but that might not be such a bad thing. Because of this, they’ve had to lean on their top young guys a little more than expected, and the results look to be encouraging.

For the first time in his career, RJ Barrett has looked like a legitimate number one option. Gradey Dick has proven his ability to be a knockdown shooter. And of course, Scottie Barnes has worked well sans Immanuel Quickley.

The team has a number of vets they can move to open up more playing time for young guys and perhaps to take some other journeyman guys to be voices in the locker room.

The Raptors have been waiting for the franchise-changer to come since Kawhi Leonard left following the championship season, and Flagg just might be the one.

A Quickley-Dick-Barrett-Flagg-Barnes lineup to close games could be real tough to stop.

4. Washington Wizards

GettyAlex Sarr.

When a team goes a month without winning any games at any time in a season, it’s clear that the thoughts are more toward the future than the present. And that is very much the case with the Wizards.

It’s been tough for the fans of the current squad to watch, but the potential has been on display from a number of their first- and second-year players. They have started to put a versatile front court together with Alex Sarr and Bilal Coulibaly. They will be likely moving on from most of their older vets during the season and embracing the youngsters leading the charge.

The defensive prowess of a Coulibaly-Flagg-Sarr backcourt would scare a lot of teams. Two to three years from now, we will be seeing a very different, far more successful Wizards team.

3. Chicago Bulls

GettyJosh Giddey.

A team that has been middling for a very long time now, there hasn’t been a clear direction in Chicago in awhile. The Bulls have not won a playoff series in 10 years now.

With announcements made that they are expected to trade Zach LaVine and Nikola Vucević away, they will finally be able to start prioritizing playing time for their prospects.

They need a new star in the Windy City and Cooper Flagg would have endless opportunities to shine here. The pairing would help both immediately bolster their standing and with passes landing from Josh Giddey, the SC-Top 10 moments will be there every night.

There are a number of needs in Chicago, but Flagg would be a fantastic addition and a great place to start the next step.

2. Utah Jazz

GettyLauri Markkanen.

Another season of losing and likely selling off in Utah means that the Jazz will be players for the top pick. It’s hard to say who they may keep in the long term, but the pieces are there to build this into something special. Which is something Danny Ainge has done before.

The dream has to be landing Flagg so they could have three lengthy players in the front court, with the size to scare opposing teams. Between Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler, there is a lot to like. They should be able to land at least a first-round pick and a decent player should the team opt to trade John Collins, Jordan Clarkson, or even Collin Sexton.

The roster at the end of the season will not match what it looks like in early December, but there is some real potential here. Keyonte George has continued to show growth, while the team is often competitive against very good teams.

Cooper Flagg next to Lauri Markkanen would be one heck of a front-court duo. And with Markkanen signed on for five more years, that could be the thing that finally gives him his first playoff appearance.

1. Brooklyn Nets

GettyBrooklyn Nets coach Jordi Fernandez.

The biggest unknown in the entire league. The Brooklyn Nets stated on November 30 that any player on the roster could be available in a trade. And that fact changes everything.

They already have picks from the Suns and Bucks coming up. With all of their stockpiled picks and veteran options here, the number of deals they could make is endless. They took all the Knicks picks in the Mikal Bridges deal over the summer, too.

They could pretty much do as they like this season, so it’s hard to predict exactly what that looks like. The team has been competitive under first-year coach Jordi Fernandez despite all the injuries they’ve had.

Cooper Flagg could instantly become the face of the franchise in Brooklyn, something the Nets could really use. The fit would be there and it is one of the only situations where a team could bring in the Maine native and then build fully around him.

Brooklyn Flagg, here we come?