Detroit Pistons Receive: G Russell Westbrook, 2027 First-Round Pick (LAL), 2029 First-Round Pick (LAL) 

Los Angeles Lakers Receive: F Bojan Bogdanovic, G/F Alec Burks, C Nerlens Noel 

As intriguing as Wembanyama and Henderson look, every team in the NBA won’t be tanking for them, either. 

Some won’t want to. Simply put, they’ll be too close to the NBA championship for it to be a viable option. Why would the Bucks, for example, trade Giannis Antetokounmpo for a 14% chance at Victor Wembanyama? Why would they trade a chance to win a title now for a chance to win one later? 

Of course, some other teams simply won’t take a as a rule. For example, the Portland Trail Blazers are well aware that these players are coming up the pipeline. They traded for Jerami Grant this summer anyway. Generally speaking, the Blazers don’t tank. 

Finally, some teams just don’t own their own first-round pick. The Lakers fall into that category. If they did, they could justify blowing up this core after a disaster of a 2021-22 season.

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They don’t, so all they can do is try to be as competitive as possible in 2022-23. 

Does this deal help them towards that goal?