“A deer running across the ice.” Something we don’t see very often, right? That’s exactly how Cooper Flagg was described by his former coach, Josh Grant. A rarity. And rightly so. Cooper Flagg was recognised as a generational talent way before his exploits in college basketball made him an almost-guaranteed No.1 draft pick in 2025. In middle school, he used to play with teammates three grades above him, and still ended up being the best player on the court. But with good deeds comes criticism. There were conspiracy theories amongst the parents that he had forged his birth certificate! Not just parents, Flagg also managed to stun the NBA legend Dwight Howard, not just with his talent, but with his earnings as well.As reported by Howard Bryant, Flagg earned over $28 million from NIL deals in just his freshman year. To put this into perspective, Flagg has earned more money in his college career than Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Lebron James earned from their rookie contracts in the NBA! Dwight Howard, appearing on the Nightcap podcast, gave hilarious advice to Cooper, asking him to “Stay in College.” Still laughing with disbelief, Howard urged the Maine native to go back to college, where he can earn $100 million if he stays!“Go back. Go back for two more years. If he stays for two more years and wins at least one championship at Duke, he’s gonna get at least 100m’s [millions] off the college.” Howard also made some interesting comments on the state of NBA contracts. Speaking with hosts Shannon Sharpe and Chad Johnson, the Orlando Magic legend believes that with NBA contracts getting larger and the salary cap still rising, Cooper Flagg could become a Billionaire before he finishes his rookie contract. And as he spoke, he took a dig at the league itself.Taking a dig at the NBA, Howard said, “Man, this is not real money. This is cryptocurrency! They playing around with us. That ain’t no real money.” Superman was also astonished at how someone could cough up $500 million for a player. “How in the world would they just come up with the 500m’s to just give somebody? We in a simulation!” View this post on Instagram. A post shared by Nightcap (@nightcapshow_)Howard’s comments can be substantiated if we look at the data over the last decade and a half. In 2010, the average salary in the NBA was $4.9 million, a figure which has almost doubled this decade, as the average salary now exceeds $8 million a season. Can you even imagine what the annual salary of players will be like in the next decade?Speaking of high-salary earners, Giannis Antetokounmpo – the third highest-paid player in the league – may well leave the Milwaukee Bucks this summer, and Dwight Howard has some advice for him.Dwight Howard advises Giannis to stay put amidst increasing trade buzzIt is very rare to see players stick with one franchise throughout their careers. Looking at the current crop, there are only three players above the age of 30 who have donned only one shirt in their careers so far. They are Stephen Curry, Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo. But one of them might not be on this list for long. The rumours that Giannis might leave the Bucks are getting more traction with each passing day.After winning the championship in 2021, the Bucks have struggled in the playoffs in the subsequent seasons. Chasing that second ring, Giannis might think that the grass is greener on the other side. But Dwight Howard has warned Giannis against this, citing his own experiences. Howard said on the Club 520 podcast that he regrets leaving Orlando for new Pastures. “One of the craziest things I think I did was just leaving Orlando. Not knowing what I had until it was really gone and not seeing when you go somewhere else, you’re really in somebody else’s s—.”NBA, Basketball Herren, USA Philadelphia 76ers at Milwaukee Bucks Apr 2, 2023; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo (34) reacts in the third quarter during a game against the Philadelphia 76ers at Fiserv Forum. Milwaukee Fiserv Forum, Wisconsin, USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xBennyxSieux 20230402_anw_bs5_00299Howard advised Giannis not to commit the same mistake he did. “I’d just tell Giannis like, ‘Man, you are Milwaukee. Where are you going?’ Ain’t nothing else going to hit right after that. His best bet is to just stay put.” Howard also warned him that no place else will feel like home, and he will be just a cog in a machine. But in Milwaukee, he is the focal point of the team and their main man. “They add pieces around him, it ain’t the other way around. He don’t need to go nowhere and try to figure it out. For real, he needs to stay, man.”As Dwight Howard can attest, the grass is not always greener on the other side. But it remains to be seen if Giannis will adhere to Howard’s advice or try to prove him wrong.The post Shocked at Cooper Flagg’s $28 Million Payday, Dwight Howard Takes Shots at NBA’s Finances appeared first on EssentiallySports.