The Charlotte Hornets are feeling pretty good about their recent draft choices. They picked up a pair of bigs, Jalen Duren and Mark Williams, with the 13th and 15th overall picks, who will add some much-needed depth and talent to the frontcourt.
But as Charlotte welcomes two new rookies to the roster, they may have to start preparing to say goodbye to one of their own budding young stars.
On social media Hornets guard, Miles Bridges has a lot of fans questioning the future. He saluted LaMelo Ball goodbye on IG and removed “Charlotte Hornets Forward” from his bio.
https://twitter.com/BuzzCityDawg/status/1540904318630596608
Considering how good Bridges was this past season, it is a little surprising to see he may not be back. But it was reported early last week that the Hornets weren’t sold on giving Bridges a max extension, anyway.
Rival executives expect Hornets restricted free agent Miles Bridges to command a maximum — or near-max — deal in July, and sources said there’s hesitancy from Charlotte to match a max sheet. Bridges had a breakout season in 2021-22, averaging 20.2 points, seven rebounds and 3.8 assists per game. In a league that saw wings such as Golden State’s Andrew Wiggins and Boston’s Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have game-changing impacts on a run to the NBA Finals, Bridges’ two-way ability on the wing has become incredibly valued toward winning.
Needless to say, the future of Bridges’ NBA career is on the line this offseason. As a restricted free agent, Charlotte can match any offer sheet that comes his way, including the max.
Pretty soon, they will have to decide just how much they value Bridges and to what lengths they are willing to go in order to keep him around.
