5 NBA playoff contenders that should risk it all and trade up for Cooper Flagg

Cooper Flagg has been the most sought out prospect since Victor Wembanyama, and most sought out American prospect since Zion Williamson. Before he even committed to college, he has the consensus first overall pick ahead of the 2025 NBA draft.

Flagg just turned 18 years old and is averaging 16.3 points, 8.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.5 steals on .421/.250/.746 shooting splits. He leads the Duke Blue Devils in points, rebounds, assists, and blocks with them being ranked fourth in the AP polls.

Flagg has a lot of growth, but he's competed against some of the best players in the world during the Olympic practice runs and shown he could be a future franchise player. All the bad teams want him to turn the franchise around, but the teams in a position to contend that can also get a top draft pick may want to trade up to become unbeatable.

So which contenders should take that risk?

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5. Atlanta Hawks

After securing the first overall pick last year, and selecting Zaccharie Risacher, the Atlanta Hawks were expecting to improve. Then they traded Dejounte Murray to the New Orleans Pelicans but have exceeded expectations.

They're currently at 15-15, but after a slow start, they showed a lot of promise in the NBA Emirates Cup. Trae Young is not scoring the ball efficiently, but is leading the league in assists, and Dyson Daniels has been the best perimeter defender in the NBA.

They need a reliable No. 1, which could be Cooper Flagg. The Hawks enter this draft with one pick, that belongs to the Los Angeles Lakers. With the collection of young talent they have, like Risacher, Jalen Johnson, and Daniels, they could create a package to trade up for the first pick.

Flagg is a 6-foot-9 guard/forward who can just about everything on the court. Since Young has not been a consistent scorer, he needs someone to be the No. 1 scoring option. Flagg has experience against NBA talent, which should make his transition into the league easier and enhance the play of Young and whoever they don't trade.

A potential starting lineup of Young, Daniels, Flagg, Johnson, and Capela could a championship level team in three to four years.

4. Memphis Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies had entered this season as one of the forgotten contenders, due to the record setting injuries they last season. With everyone coming back, and specifically Ja Morant, they picked up where they left off.

Since Morant's rise to superstardom, they have been a top seed in the west, every year he's been healthy. Memphis currently has the fifth best record in the league at 20-10 and is the only team that is top five in both offensive and defensive rating.

It's clear that the Grizzlies are contenders not to just make the playoffs but contend for a championship. Morant still needs to prove he can be that player, but his supporting cast is loaded. They have a defensive player of the year candidate in Jaren Jackson Jr. and an All-Star caliber wing in Desmond Bane.

Memphis enters the upcoming draft with their own first-round pick, if they continue their winning, they will have a bottom pick in the draft. To trade up for the first pick, they would have to include Bane.

Bane's production has fallen off from last season, but still has immense value. Swapping him for the potential of Cooper Fagg could create one of the deadliest teams in the history of the league. The Grizzlies are loaded with young talent and are at a championship level. Adding a potential franchise player at a young age could create a dynasty.

3. Orlando Magic

The Orlando Magic have been plagued by injuries, losing both Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner to oblique injuries and Mo Wagner to an ACL tear. Somehow, they keep finding a way to be competitive and it's because of their elite defense.

Offensively, they have struggled, even with Banchero returning soon and when Wagner is healthy, their offense is not as strong. Flagg is supposed to come in as one of the best offensive players in the draft, who can do just about everything on offense.

Flagg would be a great fit. He's a great defender, but even though his shooting splits aren't that great in college, he's going to be a great shooter. In Orlando, he can fit next to Banchero and Wagner as a tall guard which will strengthen their already great defense.

The Magic just have their own first-round pick ahead of the draft, but they too have a lot of talent. Assuming Wagner and Banchero are untradable, Jalen Suggs, Jonathan Issac, Cole Anthony, and Anthony Black are all great trading pieces. Having Flagg, Banchero, and Wagner as their two through four, could create one of the best forward trios in league history.

2. San Antonio Spurs

The San Antonio Spurs hit the jackpot in the 2023 draft, where they selected Victor Wembanyama and has been everything he has been hyped up to be. In just his second season, the Spurs have taken leaps ahead from last season, as they're currently a play-in team and just a game and half out from the sixth seed.

Along with Wembanyama, they have a collection of young talent like Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, and Jeremy Sochan. None of those players have the expectations of becoming a superstar like Cooper Flagg.

The Spurs enter this draft with not one but two draft picks. One being their own and the other being owned by the Hawks. If neither team makes the playoffs, the Spurs have two lottery picks, but it's more likely they have just one. They could use both of those picks, along with one of those young players or some of their veteran pieces to trade up.

A duo of Wembanyama and Flagg could potentially be a modern-day Shaquille O’Neal and Penny Hardaway. The Spurs are great at developing players to work on Flagg's jump shot. With both players being oversized for their position, they would be a matchup nightmare for opposing teams.

1. Houston Rockets

The Houston Rockets are trying to skip a lot of steps. They're young, second in defense, made the semi-finals of the NBA Emirates Cup, and are the two seed in the Western Conference. Most don't believe they are legit, because they are mediocre offensively.

Even though they have seven different players averaging 11 points or more, only one player shoots above 50 percent from the field and three players shoot above 33 percent from three. The Rockets rank 26th in field goal percentage at 44.2 percent and rank 29th in three-point shooting percentage at 32.4 percent.

They enter the draft with Phoenix's first-round pick, which is currently a lottery pick. If that continues and they luck into a top draft choice, they have the players to sell to trade up to get Flagg. Considering how they feel about Jalen Green, a strong possibility he's the center piece of the trade to get Flagg.

A duo of Alperen Sengun and Flagg would be elite. Sengun can do everything offensively at a high level and has become a great defender. If Flagg can improve his shooting, the pick and roll between those two players could be in the stratosphere of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray.

The Rockets should jump the gun, if given the opportunity, to trade up to get a franchise player to play next to their current franchise player.