The next NBA draft won’t happen until Summer 2023, but sports analysts and fans alike already have Victor Wembanyama on their lists as the No. 1 prospect.

Hailing from France, the 7’4″ basketball player put the world on watch while at the Battle Royale in Las Vegas, NV, playing against NBA G-league teams. During the two games of play, he posted up 73 points, nine blocks, and only committed three turnovers.

Performances like these, coupled with the career he’s amassed in France, make him the most popular upcoming NBA player to look out for — so much so that experts believe drafting Wembanyama could add up to $500 million to an NBA franchise.

As the start of the 2022-2023 NBA season eases in, one of the most robust conversations happening is not about rivalry matchups and championship contenders. Right now, folks are enamored by the possibility of Victor Wembanyama joining an NBA team.

According to sports expert Adrian Wojnarowski, the French big man is shaking things up for the 2023 draft. Already thought of as the top pick from the pool of available players, Wembanyama is making teams look to “put themselves in position” to take him at the top of the draft.

This level of positioning will mean teams will tank their season (strategically and intentionally lose) to increase their chances of ranking higher in draft picks.

NBA general managers and team executives seem to agree with Wojnarowski and add that a player like Webenyama would greatly increase a franchise’s overall stock.

“One GM told me today, ‘We’re going to see a race to the bottom like we’ve never seen before in the NBA.’ Teams trying to put themselves in position to draft Wembanyama or get the second pick and get Scoot Henderson, who, in any other year, would be a No. 1 overall pick. But one team president said to me, ‘Drafting Wembanyama might add as much as $500 million to the value of your franchise,” Wojnarowski explained on an episode of ESPN’s NBA Countdown.

Wembanyama recently signed a two-year contract with Metropolitans 92 of the Pro A, a premier French basketball league.