Cooper Flagg Says Something You Probably Didn't Expect

Didn’t see this coming

You shouldn’t take this to the bank. First, he’s 18 and second, 18-year-olds change their minds often.

However, Cooper Flagg said it, so we fell duty-bound to let you know that this unlikely phrase apparently came out of his mouth in an interview with the Athletic:

“I want to come back next year.”

“I always wanted to play in college at the highest level and compete for a national championship.”

Wow!

Can you imagine Flagg and Carlos Boozer on the same front line? That’d be absolutely crazy.

Zion Williamson had the same dilemma of course. He told Mike Kryzyzewski that he wanted to come back and Coach K told him no, he had to go. The money was too good.

But what if Flagg could make more or less the same money at Duke as he could in the NBA as a rookie?

Fact is, who knows how much he could rake in? Ten million? Twenty? More?

It’s impossible to know, but right now he’s getting about $4.7 million, according to reports. If he came back and had the publicity of his freshman year, he could make much more - and so would his teammates. Zaccharie Risacher, the #1 pick in last year’s draft, gets about $14.25 million a year in his four-year rookie contract.

Could Flagg touch that?

Of course he could. We’re not saying he would or should do this, but he could ditch New Balance and have a bidding war. Even better, he could do a deal with Boozer and both of them could make out like bandits with Nike or Adidas or whoever.

He signed with New Balance because it’s a home state company and that’s important to him. Obviously he thinks a little differently - which may be why he says he wants to come back.

But realistically, he could double or triple his income as sophomore. His Q rating would be much, much higher.

Of course, the odds of it happening are still not that high. Still, it’s fun to think that he might - and how dominant his team would be if he does. But don’t take it to the bank.

And if he did, he’d be the most beloved Blue Devil at least since Shane Battier. That you can take to the bank!