I started this trade as a Knicks-Bulls 2 team trade but realized that it was easier to show the whole picture by looping in a possible Bulls-Warriors trade as well. I want to address one thing straight off, this is not a trade for the Bulls to win more now. The Bulls are in a weird place where they're playing much better than most expected before the season AND which looks even better in a weaker Eastern Conference. This trade is to both get some draft capital, potential trade pieces and put them in a position to lose more the rest of the year. Basically, the Bulls should embrace the tank as the FRP they traded to the Spurs is top 10 protected. The 2025 draft class is a very strong one and a top 10 pick could land the Bulls a true star to develop. I'll go further in detail in the team by team below.

Knicks: Starting with my team, the Knicks, they get a young, impactful Center on a good multi-year contract. While Precious Achiuwa's return to the lineup after injury has already been a big boost, there's a steep drop-off in quality from Achiuwa to Sims in the available centers. I personally hope the Knicks keep Achiuwa as I think he's done incredibly well given the low expectations for him and just plays hard every minute he's out there. But I'm a bit worried that other than KAT, the only Center who's under contract past this season is Mitch. And I love Mitch, he's a monster on defense when he plays, but he's had so much trouble with availability, it's hard to rely on him for the future. Smith givens the Knicks a high energy center who rebounds well and can score outside of 6 feet. He's not the rim protector that Mitch is but he still records a decent number of blocks and you'd imagine that he'd improve further under Thibs tutelage. The Knicks also trade Sims in this instance, which is a loss as he's played much better than expected but he'd be the 4th string center in this scenario and it's better to trade him while his value is relatively high. Hukporti could then take over at the 4th string spot and hopefully develop further. This also opens up a roster spot for Shamet as it seems like the plan is for him to come over to the team and there might even be room for TJ Warren as well.

Bulls: So as I said above, this trade is designed to get the Bulls some assets AND ensure they lose a lot more than they are right now. It does that by pretty much decimating their pool of Centers as Sims might even be their starter while Mitch is still recovering from injury. I do think Smith was a player that they looked at as part of their future, but his playing time hasn't reflected that (only around 15 minutes a night) and Center has become a position that has become devalued more as there's plenty of serviceable big men available. What they do get form the Knicks is an All-Defense caliber center in Mitch and a solid backup in Sims. Obviously, Mitch's big issue is his health BUT the Bulls can afford to be far more patient than the Knicks can as they aren't in a hurry to contend right now. They get a good amount of second rounders from the Knicks and the Warriors as well. They're also capitalizing on a good year by Vucevic as his value will only decrease as he ages. They get 2 solid vets in Payton Jr. and Anderson who could either stay to help provide good veteran leadership or be flipped for more assets. Both Payton Jr. and Anderson could be of interest to several contending teams and the draft pick haul could definitely increase. They also break up the larger contract of Vucevic into smaller contracts and less long term money. If they're able to ship out LaVine as well, then their cap sheet will be very open for next years free agency.

Warriors: The Warriors made the first major move of trade season in their trade for Schroeder. He gives them a steady hand to run with Steph or lead the second unit. Because of this and despite the love for him, Payton Jr. becomes more expendable. Anderson also has been pretty solid for them but if they use Vucevic, it likely spells more playing time for their younger wings such as Kuminga, Jackson-Davis and Moody. All of them have higher upsides at this point than Anderson and Moody and Jackson-Davis are already locked down for future seasons. What Vucevic gives the Warriors is a center who can be truly productive on the offensive end. He's been efficient this season and rebounds well too. He's not known for his defense (and for good reason) but they have enough defensive wings like Green and Wiggins who could cover for this. This is all to maximize Steph's window to contend while not sacrificing young prospects. They give up some second rounders but this team could end up being very dangerous on offense.

Some final notes: Jalen Smith's value is hard to read but I tried to base this on the recent Bryant trade. Bryant was nowhere near as good as Smith but the Pacers didn't end up sending much value to the Heat in both draft picks and players. In this scenario, the Bulls lose a solid young center but gain two young centers, one who has amazing upside if healthy in Mitch and the other is a lower cost option for a backup center. Still, the Knicks might need to attach more second round picks to get this done.