People keep talking about the Lakers, but I'm not convinced that they're our biggest competition. They're just the most vocal, and I think they're the ones manipulating the media machine the most right now. But the reality is that Tatum is a better asset than any of the Lakers' young players, and that's a difficult hurdle for the Lakers to clear when attempting to convince NOP to deal before the deadline.
But I'd be paying very close attention to where that #1 pick falls. If the Knicks get it, for example, then we have very real competition. Zion probably trumps Tatum as an asset, and Smith/Knox/Robinson are a decent set of complementary young assets to choose from. If that happens, then we'd probably have to include both Tatum and Brown - and then some - to win the sweepstakes.
That's when we'd have to start asking ourselves if it's really worth it to gut the roster for one player.