Could Former Spartans Star Get Traded Before NBA Deadline?
The Charlotte Hornets signed Miles Bridges to a three-year contract extension last summer, indicating their desire to make him a part of their long-term future.
Or perhaps the Hornets did it to make him a rather valuable trade commodity?
The Feb. 6 NBA trade deadline is approaching, and you can't help but wonder if Charlotte may make Bridges available.
The Hornets are not even close to being contenders in the Eastern Conference, and their most promising young talents — LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Tre Mann and Mark Williams — are all under the age of 25. As a matter of fact, none of them are older than 23.
Meanwhile, Bridges is 26, and while the Michigan State product certainly isn't ancient, he is old enough for Charlotte to seriously consider moving.
Bridges isn't exactly having the greatest season from an efficiency perspective. He is averaging 17.9 points per game, but he is doing that on 41.6/28.4/88.5 splits.
The Flint, Michigan native has never been the most efficient scorer in the world, but this year, he has been especially subpar in that area.
Still, Bridges is a player who can regularly create his own shot and can also guard multiple positions on the defensive end. No one is going to confuse him for Kawhi Leonard, but his blend of solid size and decent athleticism is enough to at least provide him with versatility in that area.
There is absolutely value in that, and a contending team that already has a bunch of other pieces in place may see it worthwhile to pursue a trade for Bridges.
He is making a tick over $27 million this season, and over the next two years, that number will dip. Bridges' average annual salary is $25 million until he hits free agency in 2027, and in today's modern NBA, that is a bargain contract for a player with his skill set.
Charlotte wouldn't be able to command a king's ransom from anyone for Bridges, but it still may be able to secure a first-round draft pick and perhaps another young player from a contender looking to add one more piece to the puzzle.
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Matthew Schmidt is a sportswriter who covers NFL, MLB, NBA and college football and basketball. He has been writing professionally since 2011 and has also worked for Bleacher Report, FanRag Sports, ClutchPoints, NFLAnalysis.net and NBAAnalysis.net. He was born and raised in New Jersey and has a rather eclectic group of favorite teams: the Boston Celtics, New York Giants and Miami Marlins.