2025 NBA Draft: Which Team Needs Cooper Flagg Most?

The projected top pick in the 2025 NBA Draft has the chance to be a franchise-altering talent.

Cooper Flagg of Montverde Academy drives past Darren Harris of Paul VI at the City of Palms Classic on Friday, Dec. 22, 2023, at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers. / Amanda Inscore/The News-Press USA Today

While the 2025 NBA Draft is just under a year away, teams projected to be near the bottom of the standings in the upcoming season are already thinking about the possibility of landing a franchise-altering talent in that class. The projected top pick in next summer's draft is Cooper Flagg, who will play the upcoming season with the Duke Blue Devils.

At 6-foot-9 with the combination of elite tools and natural feel, Flagg has the makings of an NBA superstar. He's the type of player who can immediately become the face of a franchise and could completely turn a team around. Furthermore, he won't turn 19 years old until roughly two months into his rookie season at the NBA level.

The 2025 NBA Draft is loaded with talent, so Flagg isn't the only potential star talent in the class. With that in mind, he's the most clear-cut prospect when it comes to being potentially generational. He gets it done on both ends and can play several positions.

But which team actually needs Flagg most?

There's no question that all 30 NBA teams would love to add the dynamic forward to their roster. Even then, there are certainly a few franchises that need him more than most. Especially for the teams who have quality young talent but lack a face of the franchise, Flagg could be the piece that pushes them forward.

While it's still early in the offseason and we definitely don't know exactly how the 2024-25 season will unfold, there are three teams that stick out as most in need of a potential superstar. The Washington Wizards, Detroit Pistons and Brooklyn Nets project to be near the bottom of the standings next season and could really use Flagg.

Brooklyn just hit reset and will be completely starting over, Detroit has many interesting young pieces but hasn't been able to even rise to the middle of the pack in the Eastern Conference and Washington now has Alex Sarr in the frontcourt but still needs more top-tier talent.

As the season goes on, expect these three franchises to be in a position to have the best odds at the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft. There's no guarantee being a bottom team will land you the top pick, but with a talent like Cooper Flagg as the prize of the class, it's worth giving yourself the best shot.

---

Want to join the discussion? Like Draft Digest on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest NBA Draft news. You can also meet the team behind the coverage.