Detroit Pistons: One NBA Draft trade with every team in the Southeast
Detroit Pistons draft: 1 trade with every team in the Southeast
Charlotte Hornets
The Hornets are an interesting team, as they have both the 13th and 15th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft and will be desperate to get off at least one of their big contracts so that they can add some impact talent. They’ve been hovering around the 9th spot and two more late lottery picks probably aren’t going to change that.
Why the Hornets would do it: This trade would not only give the Hornets an impact player who would improve their perimeter defense, but they’d get off of Hayward’s contract (which runs a year longer than Grant’s) and save roughly $10 million this season and then have a massive amount of cap space in 2023 when there are more desirable free agents. This would allow the Hornets to get better next season and would set them up to be major players in the free agency market.
Related Story. The Kings will likely decide the Pistons' draft fate. light
Why the Pistons would do it: If the Trail Blazers end up thinking the 7th pick is too high a price to pay for Grant, then the Hornets might be the next best option, as the Pistons could still find impact players in this range in the draft. They’d be stuck with the oft-injured and wildly overpaid Hayward for two seasons but if he is healthy, he’s a nice fit with Cade Cunningham and the rest of their young core. The Pistons could take two players like Tari Eason and Mark Williams here, getting Grant’s replacement and adding to their big man depth. Taking a bad contract into their cap space is one way the Detroit Pistons could add assets outside of free agency.