This is the right basketball move but a tough PR sell in the short term. He was at the game in LA last night sitting courtside for the win over the Lakers, and hugging LaMelo and PJ after the game. He is going to play again for someone, and if a new contract comes with a suspension that sits him the rest of this season, it would be by far the longest suspension in NBA history for anything remotely similar to this. Relative to other similar players and especially if compared to the NFL, at some point it is okay to move forward. People are cheering Deshaun Watson and there is no real resolution with him. Tyreke Hill is lauded. Marshawn Lynch is revered. At least Bridges went through the court process.
If there was ever a year to take the PR hit, take it now during the tank year that is already shot anyway. If they could come out of this season with LaMelo still on a rookie deal and team-controlled max contact coming up, Bridges on a massive underpay deal relative to production, and Wemby in the draft, that could be akin to the Spurs' Duncan + Robinson year from a tank and offseason standpoint.
But they need to preserve the tank. Now that guys are starting to get healthy, they are winning games and much closer in others. In reality the NBA is not going to let Wemby to Charlotte happen, especially if they resign Bridges, but a even top-5 pick to pair with the other two could still be franchise-changing. If they win too many meaningless games now they could shoot themselves in the balls. Sit LaMelo back down to let him "recover", trade every vet of value now to make sure it doesn't happen, simultaneously resign Bridges now to implement the rest of the suspension and get over the PR hit, and come out firing next year.