Pelicans
Pelicans decide to move on from Ingram instead of riding this year out with him and get a way better fit in return
Pels would definitely have to attach picks because they are not only getting the outright better player IMO, but he’s also on a way better contract too
JJJ is a great fit with Zion, adding him and Mitch to the Center rotation would help maximize their best players
I think it’s time for Trey Murphy to start, especially after signing the massive extension in the offseason
idk about CJ because he’s at the very least a serviceable role player at this point of his career but If the FO is comfortable to move more picks id trade him for lost wing depth
Starters: Murray - Trey - Herb - Zion - JJJ Bench: Jose - CJ - Hawkins- Mitch
Bucks
If Giannis wants out, Milwaukee will look into recouping their FRPs in order to properly rebuild the team
IMO the only way for any team to get Giannis is returning MILs picks, solid young prospects and shedding long term salary
the trade package would be: Simmons (buyout), GG, Missi, LaRavia and 8 FRPs + rights to their 2026 FRP via NOP —> trading JJJ directly doesn’t look good at first but Missi, 40M salary cut (Simmons) and additional 5 FRPs are amazing value for JJJ, especially for a team that’s about to hit a hard reset
Milwaukee cuts a lot of salary, get their picks back to properly tank and they still have a couple of players left that teams would be willing to give FRPs/Assets for (Dame to Miami 2.0, Portis, Lopez and Middleton trades)
Knicks
Knicks objective in this trade is to strengthen rotation and shed salary to get below the first apron (allows them to sign a buyout player)
Teams double up and put their wings on KAT because they feel comfortable enough to let Hart open, subsequently killing the idea of the 5-out offense that made them pull the trigger on the KAT trade in the first place
Aldamas length, shooting ability and off ball movement are all valuable to the starting five:
you can’t double up on KAT because Santi has a respectable outside shot on high volume. It also allows for more KAT post touches, relieving Brunson of some of his playmaking duties.
OG and Mikal slide down to their natural positions, giving them back the size advantage that they lost. Knicks have been dominated at the boards and subsequently in the post too because the drop coverage has been exploited a couple of times because of lack of length. 6’11 Aldama definitely changes things.
Santis off-ball abilities allows them to adapt him to their rotation without any trouble.
Harts energy and playmaking off the bench is what they’ve been missing so far, having him back in this role gives them more stability in the rotation
Unpopular opinion but Knicks should be all over Simmons if Milwaukee were to buy him out —> certainly not the same guy as a couple of years ago but he’d bring a lot of value as a secondary playmaker, wing + team defender and screen setter
Starters: JB - Mikal - OG - Simmons/Aldama - KAT Bench: Deuce - Hart - Aldama/Precious - Precious/Huk Third stringers: Kolek - Dadiet - Matt Ryan - Hukporti
Memphis
Memphis go all in
JJJ, GG, LaRavia, Smart + 4 FRPs is a lot but we’re talking about a top 3 player ITL who’s in his prime
idk about the Edey/Giannis fit but I know his fit with Ja and Bane would be insane
also Giannis physicality alone solves a couple of big problems Memphis had in recent playoff runs: They got absolutely dominated and outmuscled on the boards
they give up a lot but don’t necessarily lose much depth or talent with the return package
Starters: Ja - Bane -DFS - Giannis - Edey Bench: Pippen - Vince - Wells - Clarke - Huff Third stringers: Yuki- Konchar - Sims
Nets:
looking at their current situation, I can imagine them buying low and selling high all season
they control most of their FRPs and are not dependent on the haul they got from trading Mikal, so making moves to actually improve the roster doesn’t sound as bad now as it was before the season started
Smart might be an ideal fit next to Thomas and Ingram would give them another shot creator to pair with Cam
if they manage to sell high on Cam/Dennis/Bogi they’d be a successful tank job away from being the prime FA destination next offseason (via FA OR trade) —> if they move Cam Johnson/Dennis/Bogi for short term money and assets they would have ~ 70M cap space before resigning Ingram
Starters: Smart/Dennis - Thomas - Ingram - Cam/Clownley - Claxton Bench: Dennis/Smart - Williams - Bogi - Cam/Clownley Sharpe