1 restricted free agent separating himself, but is he worth it for Pistons?
Yesterday was a showcase for many of the NBA’s top players and I am sure the Detroit Pistons were watching.
The NBA free agent crop is pretty thin this offseason, but there are a few guys who would be nice fits with the Pistons.
Unfortunately, the best players are of the restricted free agent variety, with one guy starting to separate himself from the pack.
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That player is former Michigan State Spartan Miles Bridges, who put on a show in Madison Square Garden yesterday, dropping 38 points and adding 12 rebounds and five assists.
His stock undoubtedly went up after that performance and he is now averaging 19.6 points and 7.2 rebounds for the season.
There is a lot to like about Miles Bridges fit with the Pistons, who definitely need an influx of talent, but the question is whether they would be able to steal him away from the Hornets.
What would restricted free agent Miles Bridges cost the Detroit Pistons?
Bridges reportedly turned down a 4 year/$60 million extension from the Hornets, a smart move on his part because he’s going to get way more than that now.
As a player with fewer than seven years in the league, Bridges is eligible for 25 percent of his team’s salary cap, and if the Pistons wanted to steal him away, that is exactly what it is going to cost, as the Hornets can match any offer and can tack another year onto it.
The max the Pistons could offer would be around 4 years/$120 million (depending on the final cap number) and it would almost certainly take such an offer to get the Hornets to walk away.
The way he is playing right now, I think they’d match or exceed that, but the Hornets are going to have to do some financial wheeling and dealing to do it.
With both Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier locked up at big numbers and LaMelo Ball’s extension looming, the Hornets would essentially be making that their core, as they’d have four guys on big deals (but only for a season) and be pretty deep into the luxury tax, which may not be palatable for a small-market team.
Of course, a lot can happen and if the Hornets could find a home for Hayward or Rozier (more likely Hayward), then they’d be just fine.
Let’s assume for just a second that the max offer would scare the Hornets away (I don’t think it would but we can dream), should the Detroit Pistons make it?