I don't know why but desmond bane speaks to me as a secondary creator and shot maker next to Jalen Brunson. A consistent 20-5-5 guy on near 50-40-90 splits who can do more if asked, hes consistent asl. I honestly think if Bane is traded to the East for some reason(no matter where he goes) he will be an all star in the East.

Anyway, the knicks do this because they don't trust kat to be better defensively(and with this teams makeup, they need him to be). Bane is a sub all star, kat is all nba, so knicks also get back some more pieces. Goga Bitadze is one of my favorite random players in the nba. I think hes underrated and a fantastic defensive player while also being solid offensively. Even if Bane isn't a great(or even good) defender, in my opinion hes smart and SOLID. the Knicks would also have elite rim protection 24/7 with Mitch/Goga(and maybe hukporti if he is as good as he showed in flashes this year) as well as Mikal and Og as great defensive wings(and Hart and McBride off the bench). Vince Williams had an awful year this year, but he had a really promising year in 2023-24 as a legit 3 and d guy. I think hes a nice bench piece alongside Hart and McBride. I think Knicks deserve a first back here as well, but if you disagree you can take it out idrc whether the first is there or not I'm not convinced knicks should say yes, but I really like the idea.

Memphis have one of like 5 players in the nba who would be perfect next to Kat(JJJ, Mobley, Giannis, Chet, maybe Bam?). Guys who defend like elite mobile 5s but either are more interior oriented at the 4(giannis, mobley, bam) or who struggle rebounding(chet, JJJ). This front court would be nasty and should be able to cover each other well while being elite offensively with Ja. This requires trust in guys like GG and Wells to develop into real players, and also playing Santi at the 3 a good amount. Idt any of these are crazy asks. Memphis likely also tries to move on from Clarke here with Edey also part of the team(can get some crazy lineups going with JJJ at the 3 and kat at the 4 which would be awesome). Gary Harris is also a bet to revive his career at least as a decent 3 and d guy, I hope he can.

Orlando do it for 2 reasons. Goga is great, but they really need to surround Paolo and Franz with shooting. I think that involves a shooting center. Wendell has fallen from grace, and hopefully Mo will come back and pick up some slack. Jay Huff is another guy on a really cheap deal to try in that spot. The Magic defense is so good that a great defensive center isn't realy needed so I think huff is an interesting pick up s a 40% three point shooter in his first 100 or so nba games. they also get a couple of seconds here cause I think goga is clearly better, and cam spencer is there to make salaries work(and a potential sharp shooter). Magic save loads of money here for Paolo(10 million or so including Gary), get a floor spacing center, and ddraft capital for a guy that probably doesn't fit their team long term. I think this is homerun for them and the only team that should clearly say yes.