When the San Antonio Spurs selected Victor Wembanyama with the first overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, it changed their franchise forever.
Widely considered the best prospect since LeBron James 20 years prior, Wemby has been somehow better than advertised for the Spurs, building a list of accolades that may just include Defensive Player of the Year and even MVP upon season's end if he's able to meet the minimum game thresholds.
But just how valuable is Wembanyama both to the Spurs and in the eyes of talent evaluators around the NBA? Well, in the opinion of The Ringer's Bill Simmons on his namesake podcast, he would rather have Wemby than all four of the top picks in this year's class.
“Hypothetically, would you rather have Wemby or the top two picks in this draft? Wemby by far,” Simmons noted. “Here’s a better question: Wemby or the top three picks in this draft? I’d still take Wemby. Wemby or the top four picks in the draft. I get all of them. I can even have Caleb Wilson. I still would take Wemby.”
So what would it take to pry Wembanyama away from the Spurs in terms of 2026 NBA Draft capital? Well, Simmons did give his number, noting that if he has to let the “Alien” phone home, he'd need an entire starting lineup's worth of rookie stars.
“Well the answer is the top five picks in this draft,” Simmons noted. “Now you have my attention. Now I can have Peterson and Acuff. I can have Caleb Wilson, Dybantsa, and Boozer. I just have an entire starting five for Wemby. Now I’m thinking about it.”
Unfortunately for Simmons, there's no Voltron-style trade that can secure San Antonio Peterson, Acuff, Wilson, Dybantsa, and Boozer, so the Spurs will just have to stick with Wembanyama as their franchise cornerstone for the time being. Fortunately, few fans in San Antonio will be upset by that fact, as when you have a player who could very well go down as the best to ever play the game, your future is looking pretty darn bright.
