Duke's Kon Knueppel Declares for 2025 NBA Draft, Says He's 'Forever a Blue Devil'

As the NBA waits for Cooper Flagg to make his decision about turning pro, his Duke teammate Kon Knueppel is leaving school after one season.

Knueppel announced his decision on X, adding that he is "forever a Blue Devil" and will be "taking the Brotherhood with me to the next chapter."

Flagg told The Athletic's Jovan Buha last week he is still in the process of regrouping following Duke's stunning loss to Houston in the Final Four.

"I’ll just take some time from (the loss), regroup myself, whatever it is," Flagg said. "I’m gonna get back into training here pretty soon. And just start to gear up again with the offseason."

It's almost certain Flagg, the presumptive No. 1 overall pick, will declare for the NBA draft by the April 26 deadline. It would be a huge coup for Duke to get him back, but head coach Jon Scheyer even said during the tournament Flagg will turn pro.

Knueppel was another member of the Blue Devils' stellar 2024 recruiting class. He was a 5-star prospect and No. 19 overall player coming out of Wisconsin Lutheran High School, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

The 19-year-old had a terrific freshman campaign. He averaged 14.4 points on 40.6 percent three-point shooting, 4.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game in 39 starts. He ranked seventh in the nation with a 91.4 percent success rate from the free-throw line.

B/R's Jonathan Wasserman projected Knueppel to the San Antonio Spurs with the No. 8 overall pick in his most recent mock draft. His pro comparisons include Cameron Johnson, Kevin Huerter, Corey Kispert and Saddiq Bey.

"Knueppel should look like the ultimate plug-and-play wing for teams that miss out on some of the higher-level creators," Wasserman wrote.

Even if his ceiling isn't as high as someone like Flagg or Dylan Harper, Knueppel's size (listed at 6'7") and high-level shooting ability gives him the potential to be a long-term starter in the NBA wherever he lands.