Jay Bilas reacts to idea Cooper Flagg could return to Duke: 'I think it's a pipe dream'

As Duke put together the pieces for a potential NCAA tournament run, questions began to swirl about whether Cooper Flagg would be one-and-done like many expected. While sharing how much fun he’s having during his freshman season, Flagg told The Athletic he “wants to come back,” and the quote quickly took off.

It’s now led to a question about whether NIL dollars would be able to keep Flagg in Durham instead of going No. 1 overall in the 2025 NBA Draft as many project. Even Mike Krzyzewski weighed in on the possibility. To ESPN’s Jay Bilas, though, it’s not very likely.

Staples: Should Cooper Flagg threaten to run it back at Duke to avoid becoming a Washington Wizard?

Bilas pointed out the reasons why Flagg could consider running it back rather than heading to the NBA. He just turned 18 in December, after all. But heading to the league isn’t about the contract he’d receive as the No. 1 pick, but rather his second contract. While weighing the factors, Bilas called it a “pipe dream” that Flagg would come back for another year.

“I think the only possibility, Tony and Pablo, would be the fact that Cooper Flagg just turned 18 years old,” Bilas told Tony Kornheiser and Pablo Torre on Pardon The Interruption. “And if he doesn’t feel like he doesn’t want to jump into the NBA – financially, the NBA is the way to go because it’s not just the money he’d make now. It’s, he gets closer to a second contract by leaving now. And he’ll be the No. 1 pick. There’s no question about that.

“So there’s financial risk in staying, but there are reasons to say. But even though he’s saying now that that’s a possibility, I think it’s a pipe dream that he comes back.”

Cooper Flagg preparing for first NCAA tournament

Cooper Flagg is putting together a dominant freshman season at Duke after arriving as the crown jewel of the 2024 recruiting class. Entering Saturday’s regular-season finale against North Carolina, he leads the Blue Devils in every statistical category – averaging 19.6 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.6 steals and 1.2 blocks.

Those numbers are a huge reason why he’s virtually the consensus No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft. As he gets ready for March Madness, Flagg’s profile is only going to grow, as well.

Flagg is one of the faces of college basketball and currently has an On3 NIL Valuation of 4.8 million, which ranks No. 1 in the men’s college basketball NIL rankings. It’s also No. 2 in the On3 NIL 100 – the first of its kind and de facto NIL ranking of the top 100 high school and college athletes ranked by their On3 NIL Valuation – trailing only Texas quarterback Arch Manning.

Still, all signs point toward Flagg heading to the next level after this season. If he goes No. 1 overall in the NBA Draft, as many project, he’s in line for a strong payday. Last year’s No. 1 overall pick, Zaccharie Risacher, signed a four-year contract worth $57 million with the Atlanta Hawks.