WHY KNICKS

NYK pays in picks in order to keep Robinson and Barrett as well as Quickly off if the bench. They also have cap space to fill the roster out. Believe it or not, Killian Hayes paired with Immanuel Quickley could be a nice combo at the 1&2 off of the bench. They also shed Fournier's contract which is a plus and helps them create space go fill out the roster.

The real threat is having Damian Lillard and Jalen Brunson at the 1&2. These guys are 3 level scorers and dangerous with the ball in their hands. They could easily average 60 points collectively. I'm not sure any team could stop them both. Keeping Mitchell Robinson as an interior defender here is very important. RJ Barrett is a pure scorer himself. Being that the Knicks would still have some picks to trade I'd actually consider him another trade piece though. In fact, the Knicks could look into pairing Barrett, Quickly, and a couple of picks for Pascal Siakam if they desire to go even bigger. Pascal is a great defender who can switch positions from SF-C. This would be an even greater move. However, as is, these Knicks would put a lot of points on the board. With the cap space that they have they would need to add a couple of bigs/forwards.

WHY BLAZERS Portland actually has a roster here that could remain a playoff team while adding 3 picks, one of them being the rebuilding Washington Wizards's pick though the other two may be post-lottery as the Knicks will surely win games and potentially contend. Wiseman is a young player who just needs more time on the court. With Nurkic as his biggest threat at Center, if he earns the starting position, it's nothing for the Blazers to move Nurkic to the bench. If they are totally resetting the roster then both Randle and Bogdanovic are trade pieces if they ever choose to tear it down a little more while letting their young players grow. Especially in the mid-season. After trading Dame, they STILL have Scoot Henderson, Afernee Simons, and Shaedon Sharpe at guard. This is a totally good problem to have!

WHY PISTONS

The Pistons have been rumored for certain trades for years but one thing has remained a problem every time and that is their inability to trade 1st round picks except for on draft night. Here the Pistons position themselves for the next big trade as they have the cap space and their draft rights back.

As far as the players go, the Pistons can afford to eat Fournier's contract for a year but when healthy he is basically just as productive as Bogdanovic. Josh Hart is a player that can start or come off of the bench and be valuable with his 3&D skills. He's more than a 3&D player but that is where his value really is. I like the prospect of having him start in the place of Bogdanovic. He fits well with Cade/Ivey on the wing. The Pistons love projects and they trade away Wiseman but gain another prospect big in Obi Toppin. Toppin brings energy off of the bench. One can only hope that he works out.