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The 0-5 Lakers Have Put The Pelicans Atop The Victor Wembanyama Sweepstakes

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SportsMoney The 0-5 Lakers Have Put The Pelicans Atop The Victor Wembanyama Sweepstakes Adam Zagoria Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. I’m a basketball and tennis insider Following New! Follow this author to stay notified about their latest stories. Got it! Oct 30, 2022, 10:11am EDT | New! Click on the conversation bubble to join the conversation Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin HENDERSON, NEVADA – OCTOBER 06: Victor Wembanyama #1 of Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92 is shown .

. . [+] during warms-ups before an exhibition game against G League Ignite at The Dollar Loan Center on October 06, 2022 in Henderson, Nevada.

NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images) Getty Images LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers stand at 0-5 on this young NBA season — and are the only winless team in the NBA. In another universe, that might provide a glimmer of hope for Lakers fans dreaming of tanking for 7-foot-5 Victor Wembanyama , the French superstar who is the presumed No.

1 pick in next summer’s NBA Draft. The problem is that the New Orleans Pelicans control the Lakers’ next three first-round draft picks from the Anthony Davis trade that helped the Lakers win the 2020 championship. In the 2023 draft, the Pelicans can swap first-round picks with the Lakers.

And considering Wembanyama has been called the “single greatest prospect in NBA history” by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, New Orleans will take it. “He’s more like an alien, he’s for sure a generational talent,” said James, who watched Wembanyama earlier this month in Las Vegas when the Frenchman played against projected No. 2 pick Scoot Henderson and G League Ignite.

Imagine Wembanyama suiting up in New Orleans alongside C. J. McCollum, Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and their host of young talent? Oh, my.

MORE FOR YOU Meet The Unknown Immigrant Billionaire Betting Her Fortune To Take On Musk In Space Destiny 2’s Storm Grenade Build Is One Of The Most Ridiculous Of All Time Packers Vs. Bills: Week 8 NFL Odds, Sunday Night Football Betting Line, Picks And Predictions Against The Spread NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has already warned teams against tanking for Wembanyama, but that won’t stop them. “Yes they are [going to tank],” one NBA executive said after watching the Frenchman put up 36 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 blocks in a game in Las Vegas.

“The impact he’s going to have on the NBA this season is dramatic as one GM told me the other day we are going to see a race to the bottom like you’ve never seen before in the NBA,” ESPN’s Woj said. The irony is that the Lakers a) aren’t trying to tank and, b) even if they were, they can’t land Wembanyama. He would end up in New Orleans, which is trending upward with Williamson, McCollum, Ingram and young pieces like Dyson Daniels, the Australian guard who landed with the Pelicans thanks to a pick obtained in the Davis trade.

The Lakers are certainly no lock to have the NBA’s worst record despite their horrendous 3-point shooting woes — their 22. 3% shooting from deep is the worst in the league. Teams like the Magic, Rockets, Pistons and Kings figure to be in the hunt for the No.

1 pick. And don’t look now, but the Nets are 1-5 and have the NBA’s worst defensive efficiency rating. The Rockets have a pick swap with Brooklyn thanks to the James Harden trade but because Houston likely won’t be very good either, the swap may not matter much even if the Nets end up being terrible — which is unlikely.

Still, as the inimitable Charles Barkley said last week, “The Lakers sucked yesterday, and they sucked again today. ” If they continue to suck, it bodes well for the Pelicans chances for Wembanyama, a generational player who looks like a 7-5 version of Kevin Durant. “My goal is to be like something you’ve never seen,” he said.

Follow me on Twitter . Check out my website . Adam Zagoria Editorial Standards Print Reprints & Permissions.


From: forbes
URL: https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamzagoria/2022/10/30/the-0-5-lakers-have-put-the-pelicans-atop-the-victor-wembanyama-sweepstakes/

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