Cooper Flagg is the consensus No. 1 choose within the 2025 NBA Draft if he chooses to go professional. Nonetheless, the 18-year-old has closely teased his intention to return to Duke for a sophomore season.
In February, Flagg told The Athletic that he needs “to come back again subsequent yr” and has but to make a name on the NBA Draft. Then, on March 3, he again told ESPN that he is “residing within the current” after being serenaded with “another yr!” chants from Duke followers in Durham.
So, what would be the monetary ramifications of Flagg foregoing the NBA Draft? In line with an ESPN report, Flagg stands to lose up to $125M by returning to school.
“ESPN’s Bobby Marks initiatives that Flagg returning to Duke might value him, based mostly on estimated cap numbers, $75 million to $125 million in potential wage on the backend of his NBA profession since he would delay the beginning of his service clock for his second and third professional contracts.”
Marks highlighted that gamers “with 10 years of service” are eligible for a supermax deal, however Flagg will not qualify for the contract on the again finish of his profession if he chooses to delay his entry into the NBA.
The ESPN report added that Flagg’s massive earnings as a NIL athlete could soften his monetary blow and power him to ponder the transfer. In earlier years, top-ranked gamers couldn’t make hundreds of thousands of {dollars} with out going professional.
Over the weekend, Flagg made a triumphant return from an ankle harm in Duke’s wins over Mount St. Mary’s and Baylor in the NCAA Tournament. The celebrity ahead missed Duke’s run to the convention title after injuring his ankle within the ACC match.
