Cooper Flagg is now NBA-bound after Duke lost to Houston in the NCAA Final Four. Flagg is the projected number one pick and lottery teams are praying they land that pick. Here is what landing Flagg means for any of these teams.
The Washington Wizards have been desperately trying to turn their fortunes around for about the last decade. It seemed that the Wizards found their duo of the future in John Wall and Bradley Beal, but injuries prevented the two from reaching their full potential in Washington.
After parting ways with Wall in 2020 and Beal in 2023, Washington committed to a full-on rebuild.
In Washington, Flagg would join a young core that includes Alex Sarr, Bilal Coulibaly and Bub Carrington. The Wizards also have Jordan Poole and recently traded for veterans Kris Middleton and Marcus Smart. Despite all this talent, Washington is still in search of a true face of the franchise.
Flagg has the opportunity to come in and immediately become that face that Washington is looking for. He would slide right into the swingman position
Washington is one of the league’s worst teams on both sides of the ball as they rank 27th in points per game and 28th in defensive rating. Flagg’s two-way versatility would have an immediate impact on the Wizards’ offense and defense.
Like Washington, the Charlotte Hornets have not had any success in turning their franchise around in the last decade. Charlotte has only made the playoffs twice in the last 12 years.
The one difference though is that Charlotte does already have its franchise cornerstone in LaMelo Ball.
In addition to Ball, the Hornets have Brandon Miller. Like Flagg, Miller is able to play the swingman role and is known for his two-way versatility.
Ball’s playmaking ability would generate Flagg open looks on offense. Flagg and Miller could possibly develop into a scary defensive wing duo.
Flagg would not come in and immediately become the number one option in Charlotte, but he would be able to develop alongside Ball and Miller. The three could develop an intriguing young trio for years to come.
The one issue that does plague Charlotte is injury. In each of the last three seasons, Ball has not been able to play at least 50 games. Miller only appeared in 27 games this season. Health would be a concern if Flagg were to land in Charlotte.
Out west, the Utah Jazz are trying to re-establish their identity.
The Jazz were a perennial playoff team behind Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. They were the first seed in the 2020-21 season. After many playoff disappointments, Utah decided to go in a new direction.
Danny Ainge, the current CEO of basketball operations of the Jazz, has shown the ability to construct a winning roster. He spent 18 years as the general manager for the Boston Celtics from 2003 to 2021. In that span, the Celtics won the 2008 championship and made the playoffs 15 times.
Utah would be a perfect landing spot for Flagg as Ainge would be able to construct a roster around the former Duke star.
The Jazz already have Lauri Markkanen, who has been their primary scorer for the last couple of seasons. Flagg would provide additional help to Markkanen on the offensive side of the ball.
Walker Kessler has been the anchor in Utah’s defense. Adding Flagg’s ability to guard the perimeter would complement Kessler’s rim protection.
The New Orleans Pelicans have the most unpredictable future out of any of the teams on this list.
On paper, the Pelicans had a playoff caliber roster. New Orleans traded for guard Dejounte Murray to pair him with CJ McCollum in the backcourt. Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram manned the frontcourt. Trey Murphy III would provide scoring off the bench and Herb Jones is one of the league’s best perimeter defenders.
New Orleans was ready to ascend in the Western Conference, or so everyone thought. Everything that could have gone wrong this season for the Pelicans went wrong.
Injuries crushed the Pelicans, as they would lose Murray and Jones for the season. Williamson would only be limited to 30 games. New Orleans also traded Ingram to the Toronto Raptors. A season that began with much optimism quickly became a nightmare.
Questions about Williamson’s future with the Pelicans can create a reset scenario in New Orleans. That is where Flagg would come into the equation.
Flagg could either play alongside Williamson or be the next man up as the Pelicans’ franchise player if New Orleans decides to move on from the latter.
In New Orleans, Flagg would be joining a team who has had recent playoff experience, unlike other teams on this list. Contributions on offense and defense from the Pelicans mentioned above would complement Flagg’s game and may accelerate his development into become New Orleans’ new franchise player.
Rather than starting from scratch, the Pelicans would simply plug in Flagg as Williamson’s replacement.
The draft odds for each of these teams can be seen here.
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