Cooper Flagg earned a surprise call-up to the USA Select Team that went up against the superstar-studded USA Olympic squad during a pre-Olympic practice session. It didn’t take him long to make a brilliant impression. Flagg’s highlights included a made-three-pointer over Anthony Davis and an and-one putback slam over Bam Adebayo. Naturally, many hummed the praises of the 17-year-old, expecting him to be a transcendental athlete in the NBA in a few years.
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In that wake, it is not surprising that he is a lock as the #1 pick for the 2025 NBA Draft. Meanwhile, NBA analyst Dane Moore recently predicted Flagg to land a big-time rookie maximum extension after he has depleted his rookie contract in 2028.
Recently, Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Detroit Pistons awarded Cade Cunningham with a five-year, $224 million rookie extension, which could end up with a cumulative $269 million payout. The deal was possible because under the new Collective Bargaining Agreement(CBA), a max rookie extension can cover up to 25% of the salary cap.
While alluding to Cunningham’s extension, Moore expects Cooper Flagg’s rookie max extension to mount up to a five-year, $395 million deal, after accounting for the 10% increase in salary cap each year. The contract, therefore, warrants a $80 million per year average salary. It is roughly a 60% increase from Cunningham’s deal.
On X, Moore wrote, “If the cap increases by 10% a year like it’s projected, Cooper Flagg will sign a five-year maximum contract that could be worth as much as $395M four years from now. $80 mil a year on average. These numbers are gonna get ridiculous.”
If the cap increases by 10% a year like it’s projected, Cooper Flagg will sign a five-year maximum contract that could be worth as much as $395M four years from now.
$80 mil a year on average. These numbers are gonna get ridiculous. https://t.co/agS9QG8CTX
— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) July 9, 2024
If Moore’s prediction hits then it implies that Flagg’s contract will be way over the supermax contracts awarded to the top-flight players in the league currently. This is a huge possibility because the NBA is on the cusp of a new media rights deal that is expected to fetch around $76 billion in 10 years.
It would give a further boost to the cap and pave the way for contracts that can be as big as $80 million per year. At any rate, the speculations about Cooper Flagg landing a huge rookie extension even before he has been drafted speaks volumes about how NBA scouts view him.
The 6’8” Forward will star in the upcoming NCAA season for the Duke Blue Devils.
