Are the Hornets Open to a Miles Bridges Sign-and-Trade?

The Charlotte front office will explore all options with the former first round pick.

Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

The Charlotte Hornets have a big decision to make on pending unrestricted free agent Miles Bridges. After missing an entire year, Bridges improved upon his career year in 2021-22 averaging 21 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists per game this past season.

According to Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports, "Bridges could command upward of $30 million, sources said, the Hornets are also believed to be open to parting with Bridges by way of sign-and-trade, should a productive opportunity present itself."

Although the Hornets may be open to executing a sign-and-trade, Michael Scotto of HoopsHype reports, "There remains a belief around the league that Charlotte wants to re-sign forward Miles Bridges this summer after nearly an identical season to his 2021-22 season breakout campaign."

$30 million, to me, sounds like a bit of a steep price and one that I'm not sure the Hornets are willing to pay. Committing that much is a big risk for someone who had serious off the court issues just two years ago.

And remember, this front office and this coaching staff were not in place when the Hornets officially decided to bring him back on a one-year deal last offseason. They don't have the history or relationship to where they can feel extremely comfortable moving forward with a long-term deal. That doesn't mean the trust can't be fast tracked or that a deal to keep him in Charlotte is impossible. Rick Schnall and Gabe Plotkin were involved in the discussion to bring Bridges back a year ago and could help form that trust between Bridges and the new decision-makers.

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