Jazz Luck Out With Cooper Flagg in Latest Draft Prediction

The 2025 NCAA Tournament ended with No. 1 Florida defeating No. 1 Houston in a thrilling national title game on Monday night in San Antonio. Now with the college basketball season over and the NBA regular season approaching an end, that means draft time for the Utah Jazz.

As it stands, the Jazz have the worst record in the NBA, which means the chances of landing the top overall pick are very high. If that's the case, that would mean Duke freshman Cooper Flagg could be on the horizon, who showed in March Madness why he is the top overall pick.

While there could be other players of interest –– most notably Rutgers stars Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper –– it would be a shock not to see Flagg go first overall, regardless of which team earns the pick.

ESPN's Jonathan Givony had a new mock draft, and unsurprisingly, he has the Jazz with the No. 1 pick selecting Flagg. Here's what Givony wrote:

"Flagg's outstanding freshman season ended in surprising fashion, as a controversial late-game call helped Houston overcome a significant deficit to advance past Duke to the national championship game. Though Flagg came up short on a potential game-winning shot, he had a string of phenomenal plays on both ends of the floor, confirming his status as the best player in college basketball. He finished the game with 27 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 blocks and 2 steals in somewhat of an off night from an efficiency standpoint for him."

While a lot was made about Flagg missing the potential game-winning jumper in the Final Four loss to Houston, the freshman was clearly the best player on the floor all night long, and arguably the best in the entire tournament.

Will Cooper Flagg Declare for the NBA Draft?

For some reason, questions surfaced about whether or not Flagg will declare. The NIL package he could land would be in the millions, and a chance at winning the national title has appeal.

But, as it stands, it would be a major surprise to see Flagg bypass the draft and go back for another year of college basketball.

Here's what Givony said regarding that aspect, and the potential roster in Utah would be a dangerous one if Flagg is added on.

"It's difficult to see Flagg not declaring for the draft at this point considering the No. 1 pick is at stake, and the Jazz would surely be thrilled to add a player with his versatility and star power to pair with Lauri Markkanen and Walker Kessler in what would quickly become a formidable frontcourt," Givony wrote.

Prior to the Final Four loss, Flagg left the question unanswered, but he did say it would be a "blessing" to play in the NBA, per Adam Zagoria.

“It would be a blessing for me to get drafted [by any] team in the NBA,” Cooper Flagg said Friday. “That’s a dream of mine, to play in the NBA. I would feel completely blessed and honored to play for any team. ”

For now, experts have the Jazz selecting Flagg, and what a world it would be if that ends up happening.

Will Cooper Flagg Declare for the NBA Draft?

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