The Pistons have always been somewhat weak at the power forward position in the last couple seasons, which often sparked trade speculation for Miles Bridges. However, Bridges is not making a positive impact so far this season after finally being traded by the Hornets and now playing for the Suns.
Phoenix has lost its defensive toughness with Bridges in town, a fate that the Pistons could’ve also suffered if they initiated a hometown reunion for Bridges. Detroit is better off with grittier power forwards, who might not be as talented as Bridges but do all the little things to give their team an advantage.
Bridges has yet to show he’s a winning player
On paper, Bridges has been a productive player for practically his entire NBA career. He's now entering his 8th active season and owns career averages of 16 points and 6 rebounds per game, including multiple seasons averaging over 20 points per game. But the reality of his impact doesn't agree with the surface-level evaluation.
Bridges has never made the playoffs, which is largely because he was playing for the Hornets before this season. The franchise doesn't have any track record of success, either in the regular season or playoffs. But Bridges also contributed to that losing culture himself, especially with his poor defense and questionable shot selection.
Those weaknesses have now translated over to the Suns, who were 9th in defensive rating last season before trading for Bridges. Now, they find themselves at 29th in the same category, and Bridges is one of the biggest culprits. He's always been a weak defender despite having the athletic tools to theoretically make an impact on that end, but he got a pass in Charlotte. The Suns' trade has exposed his poor effort, and looks even worse because Phoenix traded a future unprotected first-rounder and two solid role players for him.
The Pistons were right to avoid a rash trade
Bridges was a common favorite among some Pistons fans, both due to his position and his history at Michigan State University. But the Pistons wisely avoided giving up a big haul for him. Time and time again, we've seen teams live to regret taking big swings on players that don't really move the needle but fortunately the Pistons haven't fallen victim recently.
Instead, they've found cheaper ways to fill their power forward spot with veteran free agents. First it was Tobias Harris, who also helped build a winning culture back in Detroit with his experience. Now it's John Collins, who gives much better two-way effort than Bridges too.
The Pistons would have probably been fine never knowing if Bridges would look better outside of the Hornets organization, but it's an extra relief to see the results and not be burned by them.
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