The Final Four is in full swing this weekend as the Duke Blue Devils prepare to battle other 1-seeds in one of the biggest weekends in college basketball history. Duke has a tall task, and their focus should be on their semifinal matchup against the Houston Cougars, but everyone is anticipating Cooper Flagg to declare for the NBA Draft.

Flagg is a shoo-in prospect to go first overall, and if he declares, he won’t have much say in his first professional team. So based on the top lottery odds, here are the best landing spots for Cooper Flagg.

5 – Utah Jazz

Ironically, the Jazz are the worst team in the NBA this year and have the best odds to land Cooper Flagg. Utah has more than 46 million invested in Lauri Markannen next year and 26 million invested in John Collins, who both play Cooper Flagg’s position. Flagg might be a positionless player in the NBA, but teams aren’t built having their three best and most expensive players at the same position.

This Jazz roster is not constructed to win now or in the subsequent years. For Flagg, that’s an issue. The Jazz would have to trade assets like Markannen and/or Collins to fill out the rest of the roster and truly build around Flagg. Is Flagg a piece you can build around? Absolutely, but Utah isn’t the premiere free agent or trade destination, even with one of the better cap situations in the NBA.

Utah could land Cooper Flagg, but what they do with Flagg will be hard. This isn’t the Spurs who had a dynasty and a Hall of Fame coach, fell into mediocrity for a few years, and now have Victor Wembanyama to build around in the tax-less state of Texas. The Jazz don’t have a pedigree as an organization, don’t have a solid head coach, and would only have the generational talent in Cooper Flagg.

4 – Washington Wizards

You could argue that the Wizards aren’t much better than the Jazz, but they have the Eastern Conference advantage. Making the postseason could entice free agents to come join Cooper Flagg in Washington, and looking at the roster on Washington currently, Flagg could have some pieces to help. As of now, the Wizards have veteran point guard Malcolm Brogdon (who has played for high-quality organizations like Milwaukee and Boston), Khris Middleton (who won a championship in Milwaukee), and Jordan Poole (who makes questionable decisions but had the Golden State Warriors to learn from). Also, the Wizards have Alex Sarr at center, who the team hopes develops into his full potential.

Washington does have the added benefit of an easier path to the playoffs, but this is also the team that wasted the John Wall and Bradley Beal duo for many years. Basketball fans would hate to see Cooper Flagg’s potential wasted in the same environment.

3 – New Orleans Pelicans

The Pelicans are tied to Zion Williamson, his health, and his availability. The Pelicans have more pieces than just Zion Williamson, but the injuries to Trey Murphy, Dejounte Murray, and CJ McCollum took their toll on this team’s potential. If New Orleans ever got Williamson healthy and playing 60+ games a year, this team could be elevated to, minimum, the play-in tournament – especially when you add a talent like Cooper Flagg into the mix.

All four players mentioned have the highest payroll on the team, making anywhere from 25 million to 39 million next season. This impacts the flexibility in free agency and might require shipping off McCollum and his veteran leadership elsewhere to make room for somewhere else.

New Orleans just feels like they’re solely based off potential. They have the talent, if they can only stay healthy and put it together. Maybe Flagg is what the Pelicans needed Zion Williamson to be.

2 – Charlotte Hornets

You could argue the Hornets are one of the worst-run organizations in the NBA, and not many would disagree. Like the Wizards, the Hornets have failed All-Stars like John Wall and Bradley Beal. Like the Pelicans, the Hornets are tied to their best player (LaMelo Ball) being injured. So why do the Hornets rank above both those teams?

Charlotte is in the Eastern Conference, which automatically places them above the Pelicans. All ten playoff teams in the Western Conference, including the play-in teams, would secure a top-8 seed in the Eastern Conference. The Hornets have young pieces like LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges, and Mark Williams, all of whom play hard when they’re on the court together. This team is just full of youth who are waiting for the pieces to come together.

The Hornets would also be the easier transition for Cooper Flagg, who is playing his freshman year in Durham, North Carolina. He might enjoy the area and with the Hornets having the second-best cap situation for next year, his presence could entice other players to give Charlotte an opportunity.

1 – Philadelphia 76ers

This is by far the best scenario for Cooper Flagg from a competitive basketball standpoint. The 76ers had a down year with Paul George’s inconsistency and Joel Embiid’s health concerns catching up to him. The 76ers need to stop trusting the process and make the transition away from the Joel Embiid Era. Cooper Flagg is the perfect predecessor.

The only piece the Philadelphia 76ers could truly build on and rely on is Tyrese Maxey. The 76ers are hopeful for another Duke product, Jared McCain, who was drafted last year and had his rookie campaign end early due to injury. Pairing Maxey with Flagg is magical, but just because there is a seismic shift in the organization, it doesn’t mean the 76ers couldn’t use Joel Embiid. Rather than Embiid, who used to play at an MVP caliber level, being the go-to first option, he can scale back on his minutes and be one of the best third options in the league.

Philadelphia, historically, has no issue convincing stars to come sign with Philadelphia. Building around Maxey and Flagg would be an intriguing destination for any free agent who wants to contribute to a winning culture.

Of these teams, where do you believe Cooper Flagg could benefit most from being drafted? Let us know in the comments below.