Anonymous NBA executive anticipates Cooper Flagg draft may cause unprecedented tanking in league
In a survey done by ESPN, with the results released on Monday, they asked 18 anonymous individuals in the NBA if teams are likely to tank ahead of the 2025 draft. Of these 18 people, 10 believe that several teams will tank next season in hopes of securing a high enough draft pick to land a franchise-altering talent.
The prized pick of the 2025 draft is Cooper Flagg. Flagg alone could cause teams to tank next season but aside from him, there are also several talented youngsters projected to be lottery picks that lower-ranked teams would be salivating to get.
One anonymous Western Conference executive points to the optimism surrounding Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs as the reason for the anticipated increase in tanking.
"You can see the impact of one guy in San Antonio," said the unnamed NBA executive.
Flagg hasn't played a single game in his collegiate career yet. However, he has turned plenty of heads with his stellar play in high school as well as his performance at the 2024 FIBA U17 World Cup that helped Team USA secure gold. He is committed to play college basketball for the Duke Blue Devils this year.
This much excitement for a player who is still in high school isn't unheard of. Zion Williamson, a fellow Blue Devil, was already receiving a lot of attention from the NBA before he had even played a single game in the 2018-19 NCAA season.
Another example would be LeBron James. Even without playing a single game in college, LeBron was dubbed The Chosen One. He certainly lived up to those standards early on as he turned the Cleveland Cavaliers into a perennial playoff team after consecutively missing the postseason prior to his arrival.
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Cooper Flagg impresses in scrimmage against NBA players
Prior to starting college in fall, Flagg already got some valuable experience when he was chosen to be a part of the USA Select roster. That team got to face the Team USA Men's National Basketball Team that is now competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Despite having older and more experienced players around him, Flagg still ended up with perhaps the most impressive performance. He made several crucial plays, including hitting several threes, to keep Team USA from dominating the game.
While an official box score for the scrimmage was not released, Washington Post writer Ben Golliver said that the game ended with a final score of 74-73 in favor of the national team.
Flagg's performance against the USA Men's National Basketball Team further solidified his position as a generational talent and it showed why teams are willing to tank just for a chance at drafting him.