The Pistons are a real outlier in the trade market right now; the rare instance of a team that is so woefully bad that they are actually almost forced to be buyers. The Pistons are desperate to add talented players to their roster to avoid historical levels of futility. Bridges could theoretically help in the short term and beyond.
His Michigan roots may also play a factor in this deal, as perhaps he’d be more inclined to agree to this trade and then to re-sign in the offseason to stay with his hometown club. The parts may not fit together perfectly (they already don’t), but a young core of Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Ausar Thompson, Miles Bridges, and Jalen Duren isn’t nothing.
This is another tricky one for the Hornets as they probably weren’t expecting to be dealing with teams that are actually behind them in the standings. It’s hard to imagine Detroit would want to part with picks or prospects given the current state of the franchise, but nothing else should move the needle for Charlotte.
They should aim high and ask for first round picks, and maybe the Pistons will play ball if they can add some protections. But the Hornets also have to be careful the protections don’t make it so those picks never convey. There can probably be some middle ground found with a protected 1st and a solid 2nd, or a similar framework.
Gallinari is just a throw-in for his expiring contract, but still it might be nice to actually see some semblance of a stretch big man on the floor in Charlotte - although he’d likely be bought out before ever playing in a game.
The Hornets should also shoot for some of the Pistons’ lesser young talent, like Marcus Sasser and Killian Hayes. Sasser is a rookie point guard with defensive chops who’s currently struggling to get minutes. And Hayes is a former top 10 pick who’s still just 22 and has had a few nice moments running an offense. Those would be the kind of fliers that Charlotte should take a chance on and maybe the Pistons would be willing to part with in exchange for a player of Bridges’ caliber.
The Pistons can definitely put together an appealing offer that would be sufficient for Charlotte, but it remains to be seen how far they are actually willing to go, and if they will sacrifice future assets to improve the current roster. But if 1st round picks from Detroit are on the table, the Hornets should pounce on that.