Spida goes back home to NY, Pelicans get a more reliable Center + PG, and Cleveland gets back some first round picks from NY, as well as some players that should fit Evan Mobley a bit more (or a gap year to help them figure out how to build around Mobley).

For the Knicks, this trade brings another star guard in Donovan Mitchell to pair alongside Brunson + Randle. I know there’s reasonable concern about the small guard pairing of Brunson + Mitchell. But Brunson I believe is much better off ball then Garland, and could really benefit from having a star guard that has good ball handling for a SG like Spida. Unfortunately, you’d have to trade Mitchell Robinson + Bogdanovic to help the contracts work, but it also helps create reason for New York to re-sign OG, I-Hart, and Precious. So in this scenario, the Depth Chart for New York Knicks would look like:

PG: Brunson, McBride SG: Mitchell, DiVincenzo SF: Anunoby, Hart PF: Randle, Achiuwa C: Hartenstein, Achiuwa, Sims

For New Orleans, this trade brings back Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen, who are both reliable players of their positions who should help solidify the Pelican’s starting 5. This move helps move CJ to the 2, and gives Zion a clear way to go the rim, as well as giving the Pels a Rim-Protecting Big who’s also decently athletic (more than Big Val). You give up Ingram, Dyson, + Val, but leaves you with more flexibility, switchability, and clarity regarding the team’s already big depth. So, the depth chart looks like:

PG: Garland, Alvarado SG: CJ, Hawkins SF: Herb, Murphy III PF: Zion, Marshall C: Allen, Nance Jr.

For Cleveland, this is purely a hypothetical “break it down to the bones” type of trade that helps them take a year to really lean into figuring out what kind of player Evan Mobley can truly be like. And with some of these players you get back, you get some veteran guys to help figure out what Mobley needs. Ingram is a borderline All-Star player who can bring a scoring punch when Mobley needs the extra hand. Bojan Bogdanovic can be a veteran shooting to be alongside Max Strus and Georges Niang. You get a Center who can stretch the floor in Valencuinas that can help provide (some) spacing, and another Center in Mitchell Robinson that can really bring elite defense + rebounding. And with Dyson Daniels, you get a young defensive guard that can get some real playing time to determine if he’s a fit next to Mobley, and then if he’s not, he has a Team Option for Cleveland to decide. But above all else, you get 1st round picks back that should hopefully hold up pretty well down the line.

What do guys think. Obviously it might be a bit unrealistic, but could be fun idea if all these teams really want to make some noise this offseason. Let me know (or have it) in the comments.