NBA commissioner Adam Silver insists teams will be ‘on notice’ for tanking for Victor Wembanyama

NBA commissioner Adam Silver has revealed that NBA teams will be “notified” ahead of a potential race to the bottom of the league in hopes of securing French phenom Victor Wembanyama.

Organizations that have no legitimate chance of making the playoffs are expected to place themselves deep in the draft lottery for a shot at the likely No. 1 overall pick in 2023.

Silver and the league are aware of this reality and told Phoenix Suns employees via ESPN‘We are going to pay extra attention to that this year.’

“We’ve warned teams,” Silver told employees. ‘We are going to pay extra attention to that this year.’

“None of us can remember going into a season where the perception was of so much competition, yet the goal is to have 30 competitive teams,” said Silver.

“Not 20, or whatever it is, so think we pay attention to the dilution factor,”

Noticing fueling was an issue that plagued the league, the NBA changed the draft lottery in 2019.

Prior to the move, teams that finished last, penultimate and third from bottom had a 25 percent, 19.9 percent and 15.6 percent chance of first-choice, respectively.

Victor Wembanyama is the most hyped prospect since LeBron James and Zion Williamson

Now those teams each have a 14 percent chance of receiving the potentially franchise-changing pick.

“It’s something we need to look out for,” Silver said of the refueling opportunity in 2022-23.

‘In principle, a concept is a good system. But I get it, especially when there’s a sense that there’s a once-in-a-generation player coming, like this year.

“Teams are smarter, creative and responsive — we move, they move — so we’re always looking to see if there’s an even better system.”

Wembanyama is widely regarded as one of the best draft prospects in living memory, with some going so far as to suggest that he is better than St. Vincent-St Mary’s LeBron James.

The seven-foot-four Frenchman shone in two exhibition games vs. G League Ignite

Wembanyama, who is only 18 years old, will qualify for the 2023 NBA Draft – exactly two decades after James’ selection at No. 1 by the Cleveland Cavaliers.

“If LeBron James showed up at that exact moment, Victor would go higher than him,” Richard Jefferson, a former James teammate, said earlier this month on NBA Today.

The Frenchman shocked the NBA world during two exhibition games in early October against G League Ignite, his first appearances on American soil.

In two games, Wembanyama scored 73 points on 22-of-44, 15 rebounds, nine blocks and nine threes.

“LeBron James, and all the things we’ve seen — and I’m not saying he’s going to be better than LeBron James — what I’m saying now, I remember LeBron James 20 years ago,” Jefferson continued.

‘That player was six-foot-seven, this person is seven-[foot]-four. LeBron James would be number two if he is the exact same age in the exact same design, LeBron James would be number two. That’s how crazy this guy is as a prospect.’