Before Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals between the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks tips off Monday night, the NBA's worst teams will take center stage for the league's annual draft lottery.
Duke forward Cooper Flagg is the clear prize atop this year's draft class. He became only the fourth freshman in NCAA history to win the Wooden Award for the most outstanding men's player of the year, joining Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis and Zion Williamson. Flagg led Duke in points (19.2), rebounds (7.5), assists (4.2), steals (1.4) and blocks (1.4) per game while shooting 48.1 percent overall and 38.5 percent from deep, which speaks to his well-rounded, two-way impact.
Every team in this year's lottery is hoping the ping-pong balls bounce their way and give them the draft rights to Flagg. But which teams need him the most?
Based on where they are in their respective rebuilds and the rest of the talent on their current rosters, we've ranked the top five in that regard.
5. New Orleans Pelicans
Ever since winning the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA draft, the New Orleans Pelicans have tried to build around Zion Williamson. There's just one problem: He can't stay on the court.
Over his six-year NBA career, Williamson has played in only 214 of a possible 472 games. He appeared in a career-high 70 games in 2023-24, but he suffered a hamstring injury early in the 2024-25 campaign that sidelined him for the better part of two months. He wound up playing in only 30 games this past season, which marked the fourth time in his six seasons that he failed to top 30.
New general manager Joe Dumars recently insisted that he has "no edict" to trade Williamson this offseason despite recent reporting to the contrary. Winning the No. 1 pick and the right to select Flagg might simplify that decision for the Pelicans.
If the Pelicans land Flagg, they'd have a new franchise cornerstone dropped right into their laps. They wouldn't have to worry about the financial implications of trading Zion — aka, how such a deal would affect season-ticket sales — as New Orleans fans would likely rally around Flagg the same way they did with Williamson in 2019. It could free them up to stop holding out hope that this is the year Williamson finally stays healthy and make it another team's problem.
Conversely, the Pelicans could pair both Duke forwards together. Granted, they'd be facing a positional logjam with Trey Murphy III also in the fold. But a supersized lineup of Dejounte Murray (when healthy), Trey Jones, Flagg, Williamson and Murphy would at least be must-see TV.
4. Charlotte Hornets
After the Charlotte Hornets selected LaMelo Ball with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2020 draft, they briefly appeared to be on the rise. They added 10 wins in each of his first two seasons (from 23 to 33 to 43) and made it to the play-in tournament both times, although they lost the No. 9 vs. No. 10 matchup both times as well.
Since their 43-39 campaign in 2021-22, the wheels have come off for the Hornets. They've now won fewer games in three straight seasons, culminating with this year's 19-63 record. LaMelo has played in only 105 of a possible 246 games over that span in large part because of ankle injuries, while Miles Bridges missed the entire 2022-23 season after domestic violence allegations emerged about him right before free agency began.
Alabama forward Brandon Miller, whom the Hornets took with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 draft, has shown promise when healthy. However, he played only 27 games this past season, as he suffered a season-ending wrist injury in mid-January. A few weeks later, the Hornets tried to trade third-year center Mark Williams to the Los Angeles Lakers, only for the trade to fall apart because Williams didn't pass his physical.
Between Ball, Miller, Williams and Bridges, the Hornets have far more talent than their record last season would suggest. However, it's unclear whether any of them are face-of-the-franchise type players. Landing Flagg would give Charlotte another crack at a player of that caliber, and he could push everyone else one spot down the team's hierarchy, which might move them into better-fitting roles.
3. Washington Wizards
The Washington Wizards are entering Year 3 of their post-Bradley Beal rebuild and have won a combined 33 games over the past two seasons. With that said, they showed signs of progress late in the year despite boasting the league's youngest roster by average age.
Bilal Coulibaly, the No. 7 overall pick in the 2023 draft, showed signs of progress as a sophomore whenever Kyle Kuzma wasn't taking the ball out of his hands to play Bozo Ball. Bub Carrington, the No. 14 overall pick in 2024, averaged 11.3 points, 5.3 assists and 4.5 rebounds per game after the All-Star break last season, albeit while shooting only 39.1 percent overall and 31.2 percent from deep. Alex Sarr, the No. 2 overall pick in 2024, was similarly inefficient (39.4 percent overall, 30.8 percent from deep on the year), but he did average 15.6 points and 6.3 rebounds in only 27.0 minutes per game after the All-Star break.
While Sarr, Carrington, Coulibaly and Kyshawn George (the No. 24 overall pick in 2024) have all shown promising flashes in their young NBA careers, it's still unclear whether the Wizards have a legitimate franchise cornerstone on their roster. Flagg could be that guy.
If the Wizards landed Flagg, they'd suddenly have something resembling an actual NBA rotation between their young players, Jordan Poole, Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart. They also have Saddiq Bey, who missed all of last season while recovering from a torn ACL, along with sharpshooter Corey Kispert and backup big man Richaun Holmes (whose $13.3 million salary for next season is almost fully non-guaranteed).
After stumbling out to a 9-45 start last season, the Wizards went 9-19 over their final 28 games despite routinely resting players. Adding Flagg might not put them back into the playoff mix next season, but the bottom of the East is so bad that they could vault right into the play-in conversation.
2. Utah Jazz
It's now been three years since the Utah Jazz traded both Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, and they're trending in the wrong direction. After going 37-45 in the first year of their rebuild and 31-51 in 2023-24, they finally committed to a full-fledged tank last season and finished 17-65.
Lauri Markkanen, who won the NBA's Most Improved Player award and earned an All-Star nod during his first season in Utah, has seen his production steadily decline in the two years since. The Jazz signed the soon-to-be 28-year-old to a four-year, $195.9 million extension last offseason, but he doesn't appear to fit with their developmental timeline. By the time they're ready to meaningfully contend again, he might be on the wrong side of 30. The same goes for Jordan Clarkson (32), John Collins (27) and Collin Sexton (26).
The Jazz do have a handful of promising young players, including big man Walker Kessler and point guard Keyonte George. Rookie center Kyle Filipowski also showed flashes late in the year when the Jazz went into full shameless-tank mode. However, 2024 No. 10 overall pick Cody Williams had one of the worst rookie seasons of any top-10 pick over the past 50 years, which raises concerns about whether he's a foundational piece moving forward.
Like the Wizards, it's still unclear if the Jazz have a franchise cornerstone on their current roster. Landing Flagg might embolden them to trade veterans such as Clarkson, Sexton, Collins or even Markkanen and fully embrace a youth movement. Until they land a player of that caliber, they may remain stuck in NBA purgatory.
1. Brooklyn Nets
Unless you believe in Cam Thomas as a potential franchise cornerstone, the Brooklyn Nets need to win the rights to Flagg more than any other team in this year's lottery.
The Nets already began tearing down their roster last year by trading Dennis Schröder to the Golden State Warriors and Dorian Finney-Smith to the Los Angeles Lakers. They reportedly entertained offers for Nic Claxton and Cameron Johnson ahead of the trade deadline as well, although they ultimately decided to stand pat with both. It wouldn't be a surprise if they revisit those conversations this offseason, though.
Whereas the Jazz and Wizards have at least a few young, high-upside lottery tickets, the Nets are woefully devoid of such prospects. Thomas is a high-volume scorer, but he has yet to shoot above 44.2 percent from the field in any of his four NBA seasons. Keon Johnson, Noah Clowney and Day'Ron Sharpe could all develop into quality rotation players, but none of them have the ceiling of a foundational piece on a championship contender.
If the Nets win the rights to Flagg, they'd suddenly enter the offseason with a new cornerstone and upward of $50 million in cap space. Flagg's presence alone might not be enough to attract high-end free agents this summer, but he'd make Brooklyn a more enticing landing spot moving forward. Would Giannis Antetokounmpo — the Nets' reported "Plan A" — give more thought to a trade if Flagg landed in Brooklyn?
The Nets can only hope to find out after Monday.