Let me lead by saying I don't think the Knicks should do this. I like their core, and I think a 2-team trade for Mitchell makes sense. That said, IF they want KD, this will be the kind of package it would require. The Nets don't want to tank since they don't own their own picks, so they want good players back: Barrett or Randle is a must. With how Randle played last year, his trade value on that extension might not be too high. Fournier is a negative deal that the Knicks need to include to make money work, so this deal is basically Barrett, Quickley, Reddish, and 6 firsts. That's a steep price, but clearly going for big FAs (outside of Brunson) hasn't worked for the Knicks for the past 10+ years. It erodes their depth a bit, but this team would still be really good. The frontcourt is essentially the same as last year, and is still quite deep with Randle, Mitchell Robinson, Obi Toppin, and Jericho Sims. Obviously KD and Brunson are massive upgrades over Barrett and... Alec Burks? The back court depth is great, with both Derrick Rose and Cam Thomas bringing excellent firepower off the bench. There's no backup 3 right now, but Thibs likes playing his starters heavy minutes anyway, so they'll be fine going 9 deep. The one position I haven't mentioned is starting SG. Cam Thomas or Derrick Rose could play there, but will this team really need another scorer in lineups that already include Brunson, KD, and Randle? They will still have two firsts available to trade for an upgrade if necessary, but I think Quention Grimes could fill that role perfectly as an underrated defender and decent complimentary offensive player. All in all, do I think this team can win a chip? Probably not. Other avenues seem wiser. But the Knicks (and Thibs) always want to contend, and this would be the fastest way to give themselves a chance.

For the Jazz, this deal is pretty cut and dry. You're swapping Donovan Mitchell for the guy that won Rookie of the Year over him, and getting well-compensated to do so. Simmons obviously has had his... struggles lately, but I can't think of a much better current situation from a mental health perspective. Want to play somewhere without so much pressure and expectations on you, but also want to be a primary star at the same time? Try going to Utah, smack in the middle of a rebuild, filled with players that are solid defenders but that lack a central offensive star. Swapping old Bojan's expiring for the much younger (and much cheaper) Cam Reddish is a nice upside buy, and this team should have the reps to be able to invest in a young guy like him. One final bonus is all 3 of the firsts they get back will be in the loaded 2023 draft, and might even give them the ammo to move up for a new French center of the future.

The Nets are in a weird spot. They can't really get a picks-focused package for KD, because bottoming out just means handing the Rockets a top-5 selection. But how can they contend without KD? Well, getting multiple starters and one star certainly helps. This would immediately go from a completely shallow team to one of the deepest in the league, even after the loss of Drummond and Bruce Brown in free agency. Kyrie Irving and Donovan Mitchell would keep this team's offense from cratering, and frankly, they'd still be incredibly difficult to stop. RJ Barrett as your 3rd option instead of your 2nd is excellent, and he and Royce O'Neale could take the tougher defensive assignments on the other end. Claxton is a solid starter that provides some vertical spacing and shot blocking, as well as versatile defense. Then off the bench, you can pick whatever you need based on the opponent. Need even MORE scoring from your guards? Say no more, Immanuel Quickley, Patty Mills, and Seth Curry are here. Want a little more size, but still a ton of shooting? Say hello to Evan Fournier, Joe Harris, and Bojan Bogdanovic. Need a little more interior defense? Kessler Edwards and Day'Ron Sharpe got you covered. This squad would probably only be matched by the Clippers and maybe Grizzlies in terms of their matchup flexibility from night to night, with the only real weakness being a lack of true bigs. Still, with so many movable salaries (and a handful of extra firsts from the Harden and KD trades), they could make a move to go get an upgrade there. I think moving one or two of their guards/wings for a big (like John Collins or Clint Capela from Atlanta, or maybe even Myles Turner) could go a long way to balancing them out. But still, having a team that runs 13 deep is a good problem to have. I doubt this team is winning a chip without KD unless they make another big move, but at the very least, this is still a very good playoff team, with a lot of youth and upside to continue improving.