Cooper Flagg's freshman season brought almost everything he could've asked for. He performed like the best player in the country, reaffirmed his status as the top player in his class and seemingly had a lot of fun. All he failed to do was bring home a national championship.
Considering that Flagg's Duke Blue Devils fell short in the NCAA Tournament and Flagg's love for the university, some refused to rule out a potential return to the program for his sophomore year, even with Flagg a surefire bet to go No. 1 overall in the upcoming NBA Draft.
Unsurprisingly, Flagg wound up declaring for the NBA Draft on Monday, confirming that, while potentially tempting, a return to Duke was never happening.
League next. Duke forever.
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) April 21, 2025
Thank you @Cooper_Flagg‼️💙💙😈 pic.twitter.com/PLapqqvZnj
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Cooper Flagg was never going to return to Duke no matter how tempted he might've been
A return to Duke was probably very tempting for Flagg. He very clearly wanted to win a title, and he could've earned a hefty amount of money through NIL. With that being said, returning to Duke never made any sense, and Flagg confirmed just that with his NBA Draft declaration.
Sure, Flagg could've earned a decent chunk of change with NIL, but NBA money is different. Assuming he goes No. 1 overall, Flagg will earn eight figures in his rookie season alone. Assuming he comes close to living up to his potential, he will likely earn nine figures when he hits restricted free agency after four seasons.
By staying at Duke, Flagg could've risked losing all of that. His numbers would probably only look better, but injuries are unpredictable and sometimes unforgiving. Even this past season, Flagg suffered an ankle injury ahead of the NCAA Tournament, which could've been worse than it actually ended up being. Any injury could potentially result in his stock dipping. Plus, with the likes of Cameron Boozer, AJ Dybanantsa and Darryn Peterson expected to be in next year's NBA Draft class, would a healthy Flagg even be a guarantee to go No. 1 overall?
Flagg's decision could result in him ending up with a less-than-desirable NBA franchise, but even as tempting as it might be for Flagg to return to school for a second season, players at his level simply don't do that. The earning potential and injury risk are too great to overlook. Given that, returning to Duke was never a realistic option.