Should the Pistons attempt this sign-and-trade with Charlotte?

Detroit Pistons forward Marvin Bagley III (35) Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports
Detroit Pistons forward Marvin Bagley III (35) Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports
2 of 3
Detroit Pistons
Charlotte Hornets forward center PJ Washington (25) controls the ball against Detroit Pistons forward Josh Jackson (20) Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

Should the Pistons attempt this sign-and-trade with Charlotte?

The Pistons and Hornets were the two worst teams in the Eastern Conference next season but both hope to climb out of the cellar behind the strength of their young talent.

Washington may be squeezed out of Charlotte’s equation with a lot of money committed elsewhere, and if Detroit really wanted him, they could have made an offer that Charlotte probably wouldn’t have matched.

But players like Washington (mid-tier, non-stars) are going to be the ones feeling the pinch of the new CBA, which makes it harder for teams to have multiple max guys and limits how they can build around them.

So guys like Washington may be disappointed with their new deals as teams try to adjust their finances to the new realities of the salary cap. The Hornets don’t want to pay Washington what he wants, but don’t want to lose him for nothing, so here is a trade that gives them back a player but also saves them some cap and years:

In this trade, the Hornets take back MBIII and his two guaranteed years and punt on paying Washington over the next four.

Sign-and-trades never yield full value, but in this case, the Hornets would get their backup center, save some money and only be on the hook for two more seasons rather than just letting Washington walk for nothing.

But would a deal like this be something that the Pistons would be interested in?