The NBA regular season has concluded, and the three teams that have the best chances at landing the top overall pick in the 2025 NBA Draft are the Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets.
They each have a 14% chance at landing the top pick. Let’s dive into how the projected No. 1 overall pick Cooper Flagg fits on each of these teams:
The Utah Jazz finished with the worst record in the NBA this season as they only ended up with 17 wins and had 65 losses. The lowest pick they could land is the fifth pick. They are the current favorites to land the top overall pick due to them having the worst record in the league. Flagg would be an enticing fit on this roster.
A frontcourt of Lauri Markannen, Walker Kessler and Flagg would be fun to watch and the defense in that lineup would be nice. The future guards of this roster is currently in question as they don’t have a clear cut star guard lined up for them. Drafting a player like Flagg would give them a ton of flexibility in their lineup from their frontcourt positions.
The 6-foot-9 freshman out of Duke would be the clear number one option on the Jazz if he was to end up here which is ideal for someone of his caliber. They obviously wouldn’t have high hopes for making the playoffs but it wouldn’t be unrealistic to say they could make a play-in appearance if they have aspirations of doing so.
The Washington Wizards had the second worst record in the league as they had 18 wins and 64 losses this season. The Wizards had the number two overall pick in last year’s draft in which they landed Alex Sarr who played a season in the NBL. The 7-foot-1 big man showed a lot of positive flashes for the Wizards this past season, especially on the defensive end where he showed elite flashes.
His fellow french teammate Bilal Coulibaly was also a young defensive stud for the Wizards at the forward position. If they were to bring in Flagg then that frontcourt between Coulibaly, Flagg and Sarr would be a special defensive core. There would be a lot of defensive versatility up and down the lineup while also all three of the players showcasing a ton of promise on the offensive end.
Similar to the Utah Jazz this team is still looking for their star guards for the future, but adding Flagg to the mix is very promising and will be a huge step forward in getting into the playoffs which is what Washington fans desperately need.
The Charlotte Hornets finished with the third worst record in the NBA as they had 19 wins and 63 losses. The Hornets already have a clear superstar on their roster in LaMelo Ball who will be entering his fifth season in the NBA next year. The 6-foot-7 lead guard is looking to add an elite talent next to him this offseason and Flagg would be the perfect option.
They already have a nice young core with Brandon Miller next to him who is a fun shot-maker with high level shooting ability. Adding a two-way star like Flagg could give this Hornets squad a nice big three between Ball, Miller and Flagg. The Eastern Conference lacks depth so it’s not unrealistic at all to believe that by drafting Flagg, the Hornets have a real opportunity to make the playoffs next season.
It will be key for the organization to remain healthy as they have battled some tough injuries over the past couple of seasons. If they overcome the injuries and the chemistry is clicking then Charlotte fans should be very excited about the future if they were to land Flagg.
