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

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.

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.