Report: Michael Jordan Would've Reevaluted Hornets Sale If Team Landed Wembanyama

Victor Wembanyama is so talented that the possibility of landing him in the 2023 NBA draft reportedly made Charlotte Hornets governor Michael Jordan hesitate when it comes to the potential sale of the team.

According to Jonathan Givony of ESPN, "Jordan was awaiting the possibility of landing the No. 1 pick before deciding whether to proceed with a sale."

Charlotte ended up at No. 2, and Givony noted "it remains to be seen whether moving up to No. 2 changes that plan and what the timetable might look like if a sale did occur."

ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported in March that Jordan was "engaged in serious talks to sell a majority stake in the franchise to a group led by Hornets minority owner Gabe Plotkin and Atlanta Hawks minority owner Rick Schnall."

Yet the plan apparently wasn't for His Airness to walk away, as ESPN's Tim Bontemps noted NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said Jordan indicated he will remain as the Hornets' alternate governor and be part of the league in the future.

Jordan purchased his stake in the Hornets in 2010 for $275 million, so he is in line to make quite the return on his investment if and when he sells it.

While his legendary playing career was defined by championships and all-time moments, that has not been the case during his time as Hornets governor. In fact, Charlotte has just three playoff appearances and zero playoff-series wins since he purchased his portion of the team and was an ugly 27-55 this season.

Few teams could use a foundational star like Wembanyama more, but the San Antonio Spurs were the fortunate ones on draft lottery night.

That leaves the Hornets in something of a fascinating position. They could look to draft Scoot Henderson at No. 2 overall, but he is a ball-handling guard who makes plays in transition and uses his athleticism to beat defenders.

It is far from a surefire thing he would be an ideal pairing with LaMelo Ball, so Charlotte could look to either trade the pick or select Alabama's Brandon Miller as a game-changing wing player who can play alongside the incumbent point guard.

Yet none of the options are as enticing as Wembanyama would have been, and Jordan was seemingly ready to stay along for the ride if the big man ended up in Charlotte.