5 best possible Cooper Flagg running mates among 2025 NBA lottery teams

For those who aren't caught up, Duke freshman Cooper Flagg will be the No. 1 pick in June's NBA Draft. It's not a matter of when, but where Flagg will get selected. The draft lottery is inherently unpredictable. All of the bottom-14 teams will have a statistical chance to land one of the best prospects in recent memory.

Flagg has been on an absolute heater for the Blue Devils, averaging 25.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 5.0 assists on .629/.556/.884 splits over his last five games. He is the best offensive and defensive prospect in a loaded class, offering legitimate on-ball, playmaking upside at 6-foot-9, as well as fine-tuned rim protection instincts.

At 18 years old, Flagg has emerged as the most dominant force in college hoops. He's sprinting toward the Wooden Award. This is the same "kid," of course, who spent the summer scrimmaging with Team USA ahead of the Olympics. Flagg has always been a cut above, and now he's putting the pieces together in real time.

Duke has the chance to push far into March, but really regardless of how the Blue Devils' season concludes, Flagg is well positioned for success at the next level. He won't be able to pick his team, but he can try to manifest in his dreams.

Let's dive into the best realistic co-stars Flagg can hope for at the next level.

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5. Scottie Barnes, Toronto Raptors

The Toronto Raptors are enjoying a massively depressing season. That team is stuck in purgatory with a hefty payroll and not much winning talent. Masai Ujiri has essentially built his roster around good-not-great players, while leaving no avenue to acquiring that true difference-maker... aside from the draft.

Toronto won the lottery simulation for FanSided's latest mock draft, which is a good omen. That would obviously plant Cooper Flagg next to Scottie Barnes in the frontcourt, giving Toronto a pair of ultra-malleable, dynamic two-way wings to build around. All of a sudden, the outlook for this Raptors team is a lot more palatable.

Barnes and Flagg would need to figure out the right offensive dynamic, but Flagg is incredibly smart and he does not demand touches in the way other productive, historically heliocentric No. 1 picks might. He's totally capable of impacting winning in an off-ball role, setting screens, connecting dots with his passing, and finishing on dump-offs at the rim. Toronto would presumably toggle between Barnes and Flagg as initiators, with Immanuel Quickley profiling as the ideal floor-spacing combo guard to tie it all together.

The offense would come along nicely, but the real appeal of Barnes and Flagg as teammates is defense. Both can cover four or five positions on a regular basis. Both are elite off-ball roamers, sneaking into passing lanes and blowing up shot attempts from the weak side. The sheer versatility and ground coverage would be enough to send most offenses into a tailspin.

4. LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets

Cooper Flagg is pretty much exactly what's missing from the Charlotte Hornets roster — an elite, committed wing defender who can process the game quickly and contribute in a variety of ways offensively. LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller are competent offensive engines, but Flagg can tie the Hornets' project together with a selfless, all-encompassing approach.

Charlotte loves to push the tempo with LaMelo at the controls. Flagg should have no trouble sprinting on fast breaks and collecting easy finishes at Ball's behest. In the halfcort, Flagg can single out mismatches and create advantages as a slasher, or he can hit spot 3s, work two-man actions with Charlotte's stars, and linger around the dunker spot for lobs.

It's hard to overstate how versatile Flagg's skill set truly is. He arrived at Duke with limited on-ball experience, but the Blue Devils ran the offense through him from day one and pushed through the growing pains. Now, Flagg has taken his game to the next level. He's effortlessly creating his own shots and setting the table for teammates. Put him next to another high-level decision-maker and advantage creator like LaMelo, and Charlotte's offense will take on a whole new dynamic.

The Hornets need Flagg's defense as much as any team. That he's such a stellar offensive complement to their burgeoning core makes it a no-brainer. It would be fitting for a Duke star to lead Carolina's pro team to glory.

3. Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers

Joel Embiid is the "best player" on a lottery team when he's healthy... if he's healthy. Not long ago, the Philadelphia 76ers were devising plans to build a contender around Embiid. It has utterly backfired in what so far feels like a nightmare season. Paul George is underperforming, Tyrese Maxey looks lost without support, and Embiid continues to pop up on the injury report with ailments new and old.

Only time will tell if this is a fluky lost season or the beginning of the end for 'The Process' in Philadelphia. That said, Flagg's arrival would make all this suffering worth it, giving the Sixers a real bridge to the future and an immediate impact contributor on the wing.

If asked to build the perfect fifth starter next to Embiid, George, Maxey, and Jared McCain in a lab, the final product would strikingly resemble Cooper Flagg. A physical, 6-foot-9 wing who can help with rim protection, create events on defense, and touch all areas of the game offensively. Flagg has No. 1 upside, but he can also function as connective tissue for a deep and talented 76ers team.

On paper — and that's a critical distinction — the Cooper Flagg 76ers can compete with any team in the East. Now, does Embiid stay healthy and regain his MVP form? Does Paul George's production just fall off a cliff? There are plenty of unanswered questions, but Flagg couldn't ask for a much better chance at winning games out of the gate.

2. Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors

The Golden State Warriors are fading from contention and it feels more likely than not that Stephen Curry's team will end up in the lottery. Even at 36 years old, Curry has encouraged the Warriors to remain cognizant of the future and to not make what he termed a "desperate" trade. We could see Golden State swing a few second-round picks to Chicago for Nikola Vucevic, but don't expect the Warriors to splurge on a proper third star.

How confident are we in Golden State's precious "future" as Curry approaches his age-37 season? Not very; the Warriors are stuck between an aging, bygone dynasty and a meager young core. The only way out at this point is extreme luck or a full-on teardown. Winning the lottery would qualify as the former, giving the Dubs a legitimate foundation to build the next generation around.

Golden State would be most excited about what Flagg means for the future of the organization, but the short-term possibilities are equally compelling. Steph, even in his elder state, is still one of the NBA's very best. He will always put uncommon stress on a defense and he's not going to lose that picturesque jumper with age. Just based on skill and IQ alone, Curry should have a few years left in the tank if he wants to keep going. Perhaps Flagg could convince him to stick around.

There really isn't a more perfect complement for Flagg than Curry's rangy off-ball gravity and perfectly-calibrated approach. He's old, so he doesn't claim the top spot on this list, but Curry would be a dream superstar for Flagg to begin his career with and learn from.

1. Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs

There isn't another "correct" option in the No. 1 spot. Obviously, Victor Wembanyama is already approaching the very upper echelon of NBA stardom. He's rendering an MVP-level impact on a mediocre San Antonio Spurs team. Once he has a proper supporting cast (and maybe Cooper Flagg), the Spurs will take off.

Even more important than the magnitude of Wembanyama's talent, however, is his youth. The former No. 1 pick is 21 years old. Flagg will be 18 when the NBA season starts. Their timelines align gorgeously. We have seen San Antonio get extremely lucky in the lottery and stack All-Stars of the same generation before. Why not again?

The basketball gods seem to favor the Spurs, for one reason or another. San Antonio won't be bad enough for great odds, but we just saw the Hawks land the No. 1 pick with the 10th-best odds last summer, so there's a precedent. Wembanyama and Flagg would instantly crystalize San Antonio as the NBA's next contender, and that leap would happen sooner than later.

It's impossible to exaggerate the defensive capacity of Wemby and Flagg together. The latter is at his best roaming passing lanes and aggressively blowing up shot attempts from the weak side. His versatility as a switchable, dialed-in wing defender is special. Now, just imagine Flagg empowered by Wembanyama, the NBA's most intimidating rim protector. Wemby's presence allows Flagg to take more risks and by extension, create more plays in San Antonio's favor.

The Spurs have long needed another bonafide offensive creator next to Wemby. There are moments of it with Devin Vassell and Stephon Castle, but Flagg has the upside of a legitimate offensive focal point. The nutty two-man actions San Antonio can devise between 6-foot-9 Flagg and 7-foot-4 Wembanyama are fun to think about.