Victor Wembanyama’s Projected Landing Spot Good for 76ers

On Tuesday night, the NBA took one step closer to the finish line of the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes.

All season long, the French big man has had all eyes on him from America as he’s projected to be a future MVP and Hall of Fame-caliber player in the NBA.

Every year when the NBA Draft approaches, there are typically a few players that are debated as the potential top pick in the NBA Draft. While NBA G League Ignite’s Scott Henderson argued he should be the top guy, it’s apparent that the top spot belongs to Wembanyama.

Once upon a time, the Philadelphia 76ers might’ve been players in the “Tank for Wemby” campaign, but those days are well behind them.

While the Sixers weren’t in the sweepstakes for Wembanyama this season, his landing spot could have an impact on them one way or another.

With the way the 2023 NBA Draft Lottery panned out, the Wembanyama sweepstakes would shake out well for the Sixers for multiple reasons.

Houston’s Out of the Picture

The San Antonio Spurs will receive the No. 1 pick in the draft. Barring a trade, Wembanyama is expected to land on Gregg Popovich’s team, which is a significant step in the right direction for the franchise that has entered a rebuild after many consecutive successful seasons.

The Houston Rockets had favorable odds to land a top-two pick in the months leading up to the lottery. As everybody knows by now, the rumors regarding a potential James Harden-Houston Rockets reunion have grown loud.

With Harden expected to decline his player option with the Sixers, he could hit the open market this summer. In the event he tests the free agency waters, many expect Harden to seriously consider a return to Houston. A Wembanyama-led Houston team might’ve been extremely attractive to Harden, but that’s now out of the question.

And not only did the Rockets miss out on the opportunity to get the first pick, they didn’t end up with the second pick either. It certainly wasn’t anywhere close to the best-case scenario for the Rockets, as they ended up with pick No. 4.

Unless the Rockets find a way to trade up into the top two spots or flip some of their draft assets and young pieces for a win-now type of player, it’s hard to imagine Harden being quick to part ways with the Sixers to land with the Rockets once again — especially since he made it clear he wants to be in a situation where he can win now.

The Top Five Is West Heavy

While it’s not a huge deal where the Eastern Conference’s lower-seeded teams land in the lottery, the results of the top five definitely favored the Western Conference this season, as three out of five teams from the West are near the top.

The Charlotte Hornets, who finished the 2022-2023 season with a 27-55 record, picked up the second-overall pick. The next two picks belong to the Portland Trail Blazers and the Houston Rockets.

In the fifth spot comes the Detroit Pistons, who finished 15th in the East with a 17-65 record.

Here’s a look at the entire NBA Draft Lottery after Tuesday’s drawing.

1. San Antonio

2. Charlotte

3. Portland

4. Houston

5. Detroit

6. Orlando

7. Indiana

8. Washington

9. Utah

10. Dallas

11. Orlando (from Chicago)

12. Oklahoma City

13. Toronto

14. New Orleans