Lakers News: Rob Pelinka Used Time In Vegas To Scout Top Future Prospect

The top prospect of the 2025 NBA Draft, Cooper Flagg, has come onto the basketball scene like no other.

The recent Duke commit is a 6-foot-9 wing that has one of the most versatile skillsets we've ever seen, providing world-class rim protection alongside an elite handle and feel for the game on the offensive side of the ball.

Los Angeles Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka and Utah Jazz general manager Danny Ainge were both seen watching Flagg in Las Vegas during a recent AAU tournament.

Rob Pelinka (Lakers) and Danny Ainge (Jazz) are sitting courtside watching Cooper Flagg, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2025 class, and several other 2025 draft-eligible players. pic.twitter.com/EbbyCSi14m
— Krysten Peek (@krystenpeek) December 9, 2023

Flagg being projected as the top pick in the 2025 draft suggests that LA possesses no chance of landing him, as while there's a lot of uncertainty about the Lakers' future, getting the first overall pick in 2025 is exceedingly unlikely.

That would require the Lakers to be an awful team next season, while simultaneously getting lucky enough to snag the top pick, which even the bottom-3 teams only have a 14% chance of.

But, LA is a huge market, and there's no guarantee Flagg will want to be where he gets drafted for long. Having a strong track record of being the second team for top-tier big men (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Shaquille O'Neal, Pau Gasol, Anthony Davis), Flagg could join the fold if LA has enough draft capital or frames itself as a top free agency destination.

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