The Top Five Teams with the Best Shot at Landing Victor Wembanyama

Just looking at Victor Wembanyama, it’s easy to see why he’s a generational prospect. And why several NBA teams will be vying for his talents rather than a playoffs bid in the 2022-23 season.

He stands at 7-foot-4 with nearly an 8-foot wingspan. We’ve even talked to scouts that truly believe he’s actually grown to almost 7-foot-4 at this point. When you combine that elite size with the skill Wembanyama has, he has the upside to one day be the best player in the entire NBA.

The Frenchman will be highly coveted this season, but only a few teams will truly be in position to land the top odds at the prospect.

Here’s a look at the few teams who are in the best position for Wembanyama currently:

1. Utah Jazz

After offloading stars Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert, the Jazz have firmly cemented themselves in the race for Wembanyama, and for my money I think they’ll have the worst roster in the league.

It isn’t a knock on Utah, but that’s exactly what they’ve attempted to do in the last few months.

By getting rid of just a few more pieces, Jordan Clarkson, Conley, etc., they can put themselves in great position at a 14 percent chance at Wembanyama.

2. San Antonio Spurs

After getting rid of star guard Dejounte Murray in the offseason, San Antonio has also emerged as a contender near the top of the draft ranks.

They’ve still got a bit of firepower in Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson and potential breakout candidate Josh Primo, but for the most part they’ll look like a fairly young squad.

The Spurs could lean even harder into the rebuild once the time comes, but they still enter the season as a massive Wembanyama contender.

3. Orlando Magic

Despite landing the No. 1 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft, Orlando has a long way to go before ascending the NBA ranks.

Paolo Banchero will likely immediately function as the team’s best player, and could struggle with such a massive jump to the NBA’s best defenders. Of course, at 6-foot-10 with guard-like skills, his future is far from in jeopardy. But teams with rookies as their best player normally don’t contend for the playoffs.

The Magic have great pieces; Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter Jr., Cole Anthony and more. But they should pretty easily be in the hunt for Wembanyama.

4. Charlotte Hornets

Despite owning one of the top young players in the league in LaMelo Ball, taking a good hard look at the Hornets roster, it’s easy to see how they could fit among the bottom of the league.

Ball is now coming off injury, and the team has lost a few other players due to various circumstances. They’ve lived in NBA limbo for a couple seasons now, and could escape by offloading some key veterans and making a run for Wembanyama.

If I was a betting man, I’d bet they aim for just that this season.

5. Houston Rockets

The Rockets have one of the better young cores in the league, but they’re exactly that: young.

While Jalen Green, Kevin Porter Jr. Jabari Smith Jr. and a host of other players will be set to make fireworks, Houston has had the worst record in the league two years running. And that isn’t likely to change over one cycle.

The Rockets aren’t likely to finish with the bottom record for a third consecutive season, but they won’t sneak their way into the playoffs just yet. And if they’re not doing that, they’ll likely be aiming for Wembanyama.

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