Kobe Bryant's former teammate wants Cooper Flagg to land on $203,852,600 star's team

Lou Williams, a former teammate of NBA legend Kobe Bryant, chimed in on the Cooper Flagg sweepstakes. He said that Flagg would best fit the Charlotte Hornets alongside its young stars LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller.

On Monday's edition of "Run It Back," Williams said that Flagg will thrive on a team that already has talent. The 17-year NBA veteran said that the Hornets (8-28) are the perfect fit.

"I think he's a great piece on a team that already has great pieces," Williams said. "I would like to see him in a Charlotte Hornets uniform. Link him up with young guys like Brandon Miller, LaMelo Ball. And then you put Cooper Flagg on that team, you might see a different Charlotte Hornets group."

Williams also said that the league-worst Washington Wizards (6-31) would not benefit from drafting Flagg.

"Now, is he the guy that's going to put Washington back in a playoff scenario? I'm not sure. They've got to put a lot of pieces around him," Williams said. "If you throw him on the Washington Wizards, who knows what's going to be the ceiling for him when you put him with Jordan Poole, Alex Sarr, and a group like that."

Williams, a three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year, played with Kobe Bryant with the LA Lakers for a season-and-a-half from 2015-17.

The Hornets sit at 13th in the Eastern Conference and 8.5 games out of the final play-in spot.

In 2023, the team signed Ball to a five-year designated rookie max extension that is worth $203,852,600. The one-time All-Star earns $35.1 million this season and is the highest-paid player in Charlotte.

Adding Flagg would give Ball another option aside from 2023 No. 2 pick Miller.

Cooper Flagg's future in the NBA

Lou Williams said that Cooper Flagg can bring a "decent" team over the hump but won't improve a team immediately.

"He's going to be a super-talented guy," Williams said. "Now, is he the talent that's going to push your team over immediately? That remains to be seen.

"My opinion is no. He's going to be a really good piece on a decent team that can get them from fighting to be in the playoffs to being a play-in or late playoff team. I could see his talent being one of those. But absolutely just turning around the organization, I don't see that at this point."

Williams added that Flagg will need time to develop his skills.

"He has so much room for growing," Williams said. "He's a young guy that's coming up, that's making waves. He's going to be a great pro. But, I think he's gonna be one of those guys that's gonna take just a little time."

Cooper Flagg set a Duke freshman scoring record, scoring a career-high 42 points (shooting 11-for-14, including 4-for-6 on 3-pointers) on Saturday. He also converted 16 of his 17 attempts from the stripe. The college star is the projected first pick in the NBA draft.