Following New Orleans' 21-61 finish during its 2024-25 campaign, executive vice president David Griffin was fired and replaced by Joe Dumars. Dumars confirmed that he didn't have a mandate to move on from Williamson after he was hired.

In his one year with Duke, Flagg, the 6-foot-9 freshman out of Newport, Maine, led the Blue Devils to a first-place finish in the ACC, tallying a 35-4 overall record. Averaging 19.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game, Flagg has become the clear choice as the top draft pick.

New Orleans is in prime position to potentially draft a Duke basketball product to pair with its NBA Blue Devil centerpiece.