Cooper Flagg’s Duke vs. NBA decision gets big news from Kon Knueppel.

Cooper Flagg’s Duke vs. NBA decision gets big news from Kon Knueppel image

Cooper Flagg has yet to announce his decision on where he plans to play basketball in 2025-26.

But one of his Blue Devils teammates has shared his next step, and it could impact Flagg.

Kon Knueppel announced on Wednesday that he’ll be heading to the NBA Draft. The talented guard is expected to be a top-10 pick after one season at Duke.

It leaves Flagg up next. The presumptive No. 1 pick if he enters the draft also spoke throughout the season about his fondness for Duke and for college basketball.

It’d still be surprising to see Flagg turn down the professional ranks, but given his commercial and NIL success already, it’s not a must-have choice to go to the NBA this year.

Flagg led Duke in points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks, but the Blue Devils had a brutal exit from the Final Four after blowing a big lead late to Houston.

Duke coach Jon Scheyer suggested late in the season that it was an obvious choice for Flagg to leave for the NBA.

But it’s been 10-plus days, and still nothing from Flagg.

It seems Knueppel’s decision could matter. He and Flagg were dynamic on the court together, and while they wouldn’t have to take the same path, Knueppel likely would’ve been way more interested in returning to school if he felt Flagg was going back, too.

The most likely teams to earn the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft lottery are the Jazz, Wizards and Hornets. That could also be part of Flagg’s thought process one way or the other.

For now, the basketball world waits. Knueppel is going pro, but the biggest Duke fish is still an unknown.