Giannis gets to go to a team that can trade for him without dropping out of the top 4, in a city that he's already familiar with.
The Knicks sacrifice some of their offensive versatility, especially on the perimeter, with the idea that they can close up the defensive vulnerabilities that reared their heads during the playoffs, while also being able to depend on Giannis' scoring production next to Brunson.
With a new head coach coming in, the expectation will be that they won't need to rely on as much or as many iso threats or iso-capable players, instead getting more of their output through ball movement and player movement. But when needed, they would still have two players in Giannis and Brunson that they can rely on to score, and others who can capitalize off of those two being the centers of the defense's attention.
With Herb Jones, the Knicks lose some of the scoring package that they had with Bridges, but they replace him with a guy who's still able to defend at least as well as Mikal was able to at his peak.
The Knicks also relinquish control of what's left of their first round draft picks all the way up until 2030.
The Bucks get options. They get talent, they restock on their own draft capital from the Pelicans, and they get some new draft assets from the Knicks. They can choose to play the guys that they receive, and see what they have, or they can trade off of them, along with their other guys, for even more draft capital and prepare for a full rebuild.
With Giannis leaving Milwaukee, I imagine that Dame will prefer a new destination also and that the Bucks will agree to do right by him as they consider a rebuild. In that case, what better place to go to than to reunite with CJ McCollum in New Orleans. A team that also conveniently has Milwaukee's picks that they're going to want back to prepare for a potential rebuild.
Zion needs to get out of New Orleans for both sides' best interests. It hasn't proven to be a good fit since the day he was drafted. In this scenario, he gets a fresh start with a franchise that has the proper infrastructure to cater to a superstar level talent.
Dejounte Murray similarly could use a new location with a solid support system, similar to what he had with the Spurs early in his career.
Players like Murray and Zion, in my opinion, are better served by playing for organizations that already have a strong culture. See Zion with Duke. See Murray with the Spurs. They're not culture builders. Not everyone is or has to be. They're great to outstanding talents provided that the structure around them is solid. That's what they'll have in Milwaukee.
The Pelicans on the other hand get guys that you can build a locker room around. Dame and CJ together can lead a locker room, as proven in Portland. KAT is as professional as they come, and is beloved by teammates in both Minnesota and New York. You get guys who fit the culture of New Orleans, including the two young guys. Tyler Smith is a New Orleans native. Pacome Dadiet is coming in from France.
That's the leadership side of it. The talent side of it is that Dame and CJ reignite what they had in Portland, now with KAT, who's a better scoring big man than anyone they had with the Blazers, and on top of that you have Trey Murphy, the Pelicans current two-way star, along with Yves Missi anchoring the defense.
The two incoming young players, Smith and Dadiet, have both shown flashes of versatility at both scoring and defense in spot minutes during their rookie seasons, and I'd be comfortable with putting their second year development in the hands of a coach like Willie Green. Either or both could take a leap. Both lengthy for their positions, quick on their feet, and comfortable playing outside and inside.
The Pelicans come away with a lineup that has star caliber talent at every position, and coach Green gets the opportunity to coach a playoff contender without the potential off court drama, and without having to worry about who does or doesn't want to be there.