Apr 3, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; Duke Blue Devils forward Cooper Flagg (2) is interviewed during open locker room at Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Cooper Flagg Declares for NBA Draft To Wizards' Relief

Originally posted on Washington Wizards on SI
By Henry Brown | Last updated Apr 21, 2025 5:29 PM ET

Tanking, an old standby for teams deciding to reboot and redirect focus toward the future, comes with few guarantees. Fans of the Washington Wizards were feeling that precarity until now.

An organization putting itself in a position to lose while nearly every other team tries to win is a good way to ensure good odds at landing a top pick in an upcoming draft, but only so much about the process can be controlled. Teams get stuck with the short straw when the draft order looks nothing like the projected standings, and occasionally, are left out to dry when a top prospect decides to stay in school.

This was a realistic fear that fans of the Washington Wizards have had in the back of their collective minds over the past few months, with presumed top pick Cooper Flagg spending the last several weeks entertaining rumors that he'd stay for another year at Duke. Only today did he finally relent, officially declaring for the 2025 NBA Draft through Instagram.

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A post shared by Cooper Flagg (@cooper_flagg)

A player entering his name into the draft pool is always up to them, though, and there was some genuine doubt that he'd sign up for another season in Durham. Duke, largely considered the favorite to win it all in March Madness, looked the part of a titan until it inexplicably collapsed to Houston in the Final Four, losing 70-67 despite entering the final 90 seconds with a seven-point lead.

His all-around game that incorporates instinctive, energetic defense, smart playmaking, rapidly-improving scoring, natural athleticism and a pure will to improve and win captured the eyes of every non-playoff team, who commenced an entertaining race to the bottom of the leaderboards.

The Wizards, chief among the NBA's tanking units, spent the entirety of the season with one of the worst winning percentages. After winning just 17 games, they've clinched even odds with the Utah Jazz and Charlotte Hornets for the best shot at landing the Blue Devil in the draft with a 14% chance.

Operation "Capture the Flagg" could have gone for naught, but no team is out of the forest quite yet. He's there for whoever can get him with that first overall pick, and everyone will have to wait another month while the league gets ready to announce the upcoming draft order on May 12.

This article first appeared on Washington Wizards on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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