For Cooper Flagg, the consensus No. 1 pick in the June 25 NBA draft, his first and what is expected to be his last season at Duke University came to a painful and embarrassing end. Flagg’s Blue Devils blew a 14-point second-half lead to the Houston Cougars â who went on a 9-0 run in the final 33 seconds â in the NCAA Final Four semifinal, in what CBS Sports called “one of the biggest choke jobs in the Final Four’s illustrious history.”
After being called for a controversial foul, Flagg then missed a mid-range jump shot with less than 10 seconds left that would have given Duke the victory and a berth in the national championship game.
“Fair or not, Flagg’s clutch gene just became debate TV’s next draft topic,” wrote CBS Sports scribe Isaac Trotter.
Flagg Expresses Doubts on Entering NBA Draft
Whether or not his reputation for having a “clutch gene” was on his mind, or if he simply wants another crack at a national title, the 18-year-old from Newport, Maine, Flagg on Friday suddenly dropped hints that he may not enter the NBA draft after all, and could return for a second season at Duke instead.
âIâll just take some time from (the loss), regroup myself, whatever it is,â Flagg told Jovan Buha, an NBA writer for The Athletic. âIâm gonna get back into training here pretty soon. And just start to gear up again with the offseason.â
Earlier in the season, Flagg said that he “wanted” to play another year at Duke, though stopped short of predicting what his final decision would be.
Money may not be an issue for Flagg, given that he reportedly made $4.8 million from NIL (name, image and likeness) deals in his freshman year. That total is well below NBA money, but it undoubtedly takes away much of the the financial pressure felt by many college athletes. By waiting another year to enter the draft, Flagg may cost himself money in another way â because in 2026 he may no longer hold that undisputed top draft pick position.
“The No. 1 pick battle would be real. The 2026 class is loaded,” wrote Fansided scribe Christopher Kline. “He’d have far more competition for touches, primarily from Cam Boozer, a similarly versatile two-way wing with his own path to No. 1 pick status.”
Boozer and his twin brother Cayden have both committed to play at least a year each at Duke. If Flagg decides to stay, the Blue Devils would put a collegiate super-team on the floor. The twins are the sons of Carlos Boozer, a two-time NBA All-Star.
In 2023, ESPN ranked Cam Boozer ahead of Flagg among high school hoop prospects.
Delay Gives Flagg’s Hometown Team Better Shot at Him
But staying out of the draft for another year may have an unexpected benefit. The NBA franchise that qualifies as the native New Englander’s hometown team, the Boston Celtics, may get a better chance of acquiring Flagg.
The Celtics own first round picks in both 2025 and 2026, as well one 2025 second-rounder and two next year â as well as first-rounders in 2027, 2028, 2030 and 2031. Along with the need to shed salary to get themselves under the salary cap’s second apron, the Celtics have plenty of assets to trade and a strong incentive to trade them.
With the possibility that Flagg could fall at least a slot or two in the 2026 draft, Boston may have an easier time putting together a package to obtain the pick that would land Flagg. Otherwise, they would need to wait four years to sign Flagg as a free agent, as NBA pundit and Ringer founder Bill Simmons predicted last month that they would.
Either way, Celtics fans appear to believe that their team will find a way, sooner or later, to bring Flagg home to New England.
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Cooper Flagg May Stay in College. Does This Give Celtics Better Shot at Him? appeared first on Heavy Sports.