Basketball phenom Cooper Flagg is widely considered to be the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft, and teams may have already started making moves to get him.
National NBA writers and fans are speculating that the Brooklyn Nets trading star forward Mikal Bridges on Tuesday is a sign of what’s to come, as teams begin stocking up on 2025 picks and positioning themselves to draft the Newport native one year from now.
Flagg will play for Duke University beginning this November, and is expected to declare for the draft after one season.
The Nets reeled in three 2025 draft picks in the deal with the crosstown Knicks, and with the 2024 NBA Draft beginning on Wednesday night and NBA free agency beginning Sunday, at least one expert expects a “five-day whirlwind” of action to follow.
“Flagg was the unspoken catalyst for a pair of blockbuster deals on Tuesday night. His presence in the 2025 draft offers a possible weathervane for the strategic directions a few teams may take in the 2024 draft,” John Hollinger — father of advanced basketball statistics — wrote in The Athletic.
Hollinger added that the 2025 draft class is likely the strongest since 2018.
The Nets also traded to swap a 2025 draft pick with the Houston Rockets on Tuesday. Hollinger reported that veterans Cam Johnson and Dennis Schroder might also end up on Brooklyn’s chopping block.
Forbes reporter Evan Sidery echoed Hollinger’s sentiments, posting on X, formerly known as Twitter, “After two huge trades tonight, the Nets have officially entered the 2025 Cooper Flagg sweepstakes. Flagg is viewed by many NBA executives as the best American-born prospect since Zion Williamson.”
