Throughout the basketball season, star Duke freshman guard Cooper Flagg has wowed NBA fans and teams with his stellar play with the Blue Devils.
At the same time, the NBA’s Oklahoma City Thunder have constructed a championship-contending team with mostly drafted and developed players and still have more than enough first-round picks to make a move to get another superstar in the 2025 NBA Draft. But what if OKC GM Sam Presti made a move for the number one prospect?
Cooper Flag to the Oklahoma City Thunder?
NBA writer Bill Simmons brought up the idea in jest, suggesting that the Thunder could trade eight first-round picks, along with Philadelphia’s first-round pick (which could look to be in the top 10 given the 76ers’ struggles this season), to whichever team gets the number one overall pick to select Flagg.
Simmons’s reasoning is that a hypothetical trade-up would benefit both teams. OKC would get the hypothetical best player in the draft, while whichever team got the first pick would get a top-10 pick, along with eight other first-round picks.
The Thunder would also benefit from the acquisition of Flagg, as they would be getting him on a rookie contract to pair with PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, C Chet Holmgren, and SG/PF Jalen Williams. Two of these players are on team-friendly contracts.
Other players on Oklahoma City’s roster, including Luguentz Dort, and recent acquisitions like Isaiah Hartenstein and Alex Caruso have made Oklahoma City a championship contender.
This all hinges on whether they can develop Flagg into a good enough player to push them over the edge in terms of winning a championship.
However, given the Thunders’ successful development of players like Gilgeous-Alexander, Williams, Holmgren, and Dort, it’s hard to imagine Flagg failing in Oklahoma City’s system. However, there are reasons why a Flagg trade wouldn’t make sense for Oklahoma City.
Why Flagg to the Thunder Might Not Be a Good Idea
Cooper Flagg is undoubtedly a great player and would most likely succeed in Oklahoma City, but it can be argued that just getting another rookie to add to a championship team doesn’t really take advantage of Oklahoma City’s championship window.
For one, OKC’s starting five is already one of the best in the league and they currently sit in first place in the Western Conference. The Thunder are also one of the best teams in the West, with only the Denver Nuggets and maybe the Los Angeles Lakers being teams that could challenge Oklahoma City.
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As for Eastern Conference contenders, the Cleveland Cavaliers have the same record as Oklahoma City, and the Boston Celtics are the only two teams that can rival Oklahoma City.
Therefore, it can be argued that Oklahoma City doesn’t need to make any roster changes. Even if Presti decided to add another piece to the Thunder, it might just be another role player on the same level as Caruso or Hartenstein. After all, if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.
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