NOTE: This trade assumes that the Bucks decide to do Giannis a favor in moving him to his preferred destination, which is reportedly the Knicks.
Why the Knicks do it:
Giannis... Okay, fine. I'll elaborate a little more.
Most Giannis trades send back KAT due to their nearly-matching salaries, but I think the backcourt pairing of KAT and Giannis is really intriguing. KAT proved he could play next to Gobert, and I can see that same fit working next to Giannis' more athletic-style of defensive presence. I like the versatility afforded in their ability to trade the PF/C role depending on matchups. For this reason, they decide to move off OG and Robinson's salaries instead, with Kolek and Dadiet as throw-in young pieces back to the Bucks. Their draft assets are already lacking, and after this move it looks downright barren, but the upside of the move might just be too good to care.
Starters: Brunson, Bridges, Hart, Giannis, KAT
Key Bench Pieces: Clarkson, McBride, Shamet, Yabusele, Thanasis (Emotional Support)
Why the Bucks do it:
If the Bucks want to send their franchise star to the team widely reported as his preferred destination, then this isn't a horrendous return all things considered. Three players on rookie contracts in Dillingham, Kolek, and Dadiet, in addition to McDaniels, who has already proven to be a solid starter for a good team, but potentially could flash more upside as a featured piece of an offense. Porzingis and Vucevic come in as expiring money they should turn into bad contracts bundled with draft picks either in another move before the deadline or using the money they free up in the offseason. The Bucks also send out recent addition Myles Turner in order to get the worse of their own or the Pelicans' '27 FRP, both of which should allow the Bucks to be bad next season without the fear of missing out on a lottery pick. They also get the Knicks '26 FRP outright as well as a distant future pick swap in '32, at which point the Knicks' current core will have aged out, potentially making it quite enticing. Between the Knicks and TWolves, they also receive 1 additional SRP each year from '26-'32. Is it the most exciting package for Giannis, not even close. But if they want to send Giannis out happy, this might not be far from their return.
Starters: Rollins, KPJ, McDaniels, Kuzma, Vucevic
Key Bench Pieces: Portis, Huerter, Trent, Prince, Green, Dillingham
Why the Timberwolves do it:
The Wolves consolidate the Contracts of Randle and McDaniels into Coby White, a good starter in a position of need, and OG Anunoby, whose positional versatility and skillset allow him to do a combination of things that you lose with the exit of Randle and McDaniels. Some fans may dislike moving on from Dillingham this early, but assuming the Wolves can re-sign White on a long-term deal, they have a solid core of Ant, OG, Coby, and Naz Reid on 4+ year contracts ranging in age from 24 to 28.
Starters: White, Ant, OG, Reid, Gobert
Key Bench Pieces: DiVincenzo, Conley, Hyland, Beringer, Shannon Jr.
Why the Bulls do it:
The Bulls are run by incompetent fools who seek nothing from their organization except the appearance of having a "competitive" roster that sells tickets at the expense of long-term organizational stability, culture, or success. I happen to be emotionally invested in that organization.
Last month the rumor mill ground out a story about how the Bulls view themselves as something akin to the '24-'25 Pacers. Already equipped with their Diet-Coke version of Tyrese Haliburton in Josh Giddey, they are able to find themselves the benefactors of the Giannis trade to land a Pascal Siakam-type in Randle for nothing more than expiring contracts and a player in White who you may not have been that eager to re-sign for the number he'll be seeking. Moving off Coby also settles any debate about who to extend between him and Ayo Dosunmu, who you are now likely also able to afford to retain.
If Mitchell Robinson stays healthy, he can be a good roll-man for Giddey and defensive presence in the paint who can likely be comfortably re-signed into the expiring money the Bulls have coming off the roster at the end of the year.
Starters: Giddey, Dosunmu, Buzelis, Randle, Robinson
Key Bench Pieces: Jones, Huerter, Smith, Okoro, Collins
Why the Hawks do it:
Some fans might look at the potential of the Giannis-less Bucks and the crapshoot Pelicans and disagree that they should move off the chance to get the worse pick of those two teams, but in my view this is a smart use of the asset. Porzingis' injury and illness history has made the upshot swing of his trade a flop, but they're able to move only him and a single pick swap for a much more reliable player on a reasonable long-term contract in Myles Turner, as well as two future swaps. Carter's expiring money would likely be simply bought out.
Starters: Young, Daniels, Risacher, Johnson, Turner
Key Bench Pieces: Alexander-Walker, Okongwu, Kennard, Krejci, Newell
What do you think? Apologies if you feel I've snubbed anyone in my projected lineups.