I'll start off by saying that this trade is probably too biased towards the Knicks. But! Dallas and the New Orleans are both in weird positions this year. Team by team below.

Mavs: The Mavericks entered the year with championship aspirations but have struggled without AD and Kyrie, not to mention the toxic relationship with fans due to the Luka trade. Nico Harrison is gone but the problem remains and it's become the consensus that they should lean into the tank as the 2026 draft class is loaded and they struck gold once already with Flagg. They trade out Gafford, who has been great for them, but who may not entirely fit the timeline, same with Marshall. In return, they get Mitch who is one of the best defensive centers in the league and more importantly is on an expiring contract so they can let him walk. Also, with his load management, it lets them lean even more into the tank. They also get 3 younger players to develop in Hawkins, Kolek and Dadiet. Dadiet has little to more likely no trade value and is here for salary reasons, same as Kolek, who's looked better but would have little trade value. Hawkins value has also sank, but he's a good sized wing, a decent defender and could be a good pickup if he gets enough minutes to get into a shooting rhythm. Dallas would be able to devote more time to playing all 3 since they wouldn't be concerned with winning and could see what they have in them and at the very least, raise their trade values for future trades. The Mavs would probably want more and might need a FRP swap (or two) to make this happen.

Pelicans: The Pelicans are also in a weird position due to their 2025 draft trades which saw them trade their own pick for the rights to Derik Queen. While that was undoubtedly an overpay, Queen has looked great now that he's getting solid playing time and Fears has similarly looked good at guard. They also have Murphy and Jones, two great 3 and D wings. Still, the season has been terrible so far and there's so many fit issues on this team that a trade seems highly likely. But what complicates things is that the Pelicans don't own their draft pick so tanking doesn't hold any value. Still, this team needs to rebalance itself and reportedly everyone aside from the 4 above have been made available. Gafford would give them a great rim protecting center, and one who's defensive solidity aligns more with Queens weakness (defense). He's also on a reasonable contract for 3 more years. Losing Hawkins wouldn't be much of a blow and for some reason, Alvarado doesn't get the play he deserves so they're clearly not rating him highly. Missi's inclusion is more controversial but similarly, he hasn't received as much playing time as expected, so he could be on the way out too. The Knicks 2026 FRP may be better served going here if the Knicks offer 1 or 2 FRP swaps with the Mavs in order to entice the Pelicans to let go of both Missi and Alvarado.

Knicks: Losing Mitch is tough, he's the longest tenured Knick and has been a game changer when he plays. But in order to make a real run at the championship, the Knicks need someone who can play more consistently. Missi looked solid in his rookie season and could soak up more minutes at center and I've also been hoping for more Hukporti run as well. The true gets are Alvarado and Marshall. Alvarado instantly becomes the backup PG they've needed to organize the second unit and is solid on defense as well. Marshall is a great 3 and D wing and could help shore up the team while OG is out and might even start when he's back. The Knicks also shed some salary so they could navigate the buyout market sooner to fill the 15th roster spot. The depth chart looks great and they could be 11 or 12 deep. I would honestly do this trade even if they need to offer a couple of FRP swaps just because of the solidity of this lineup and because all 3 have contracts going beyond this season.

PG: Brunson, Alvarado

SG: Deuce, Clarkson

SF: Bridges, Hart, Shamet

PF: OG, Marshall, Diawara

C: KAT, Missi/Yabusuele, Hukporti