Miles Bridges is currently averaging 25.5 PPG, 8.0 RPG, and 1.7 APG on 50.9/36.2/88.0 shooting splits. He has been touted by many people as an early candidate for the Most Improved Player award, and thus far, it seems as though he has managed to make the jump to being an All-Star caliber player.
Bridges will be a restricted free agent after this season, and if he keeps up these numbers, he’ll likely get a lucrative, multi-year extension from the Charlotte Hornets. On an episode of The Hoop Collective podcast, Brian Windhorst actually reported that the Hornets have tried to offer Bridges a $60 million extension prior to the season. Erin Walsh of Bleacher Report relayed Windhorst’s words while suggesting that Bridges would be able to get even more than that in free agency if he keeps up his performances.
“When he was in negotiations for his extensions a couple of weeks ago, I’m told the Hornets’ baseline offer was four years, $60 million,” Windhorst said. “Which is $15 million per year. If you look at what Mikal Bridges, which we’ve compared him to during his career, got … which some people in the league feel is an overpay.”
Mikal Bridges, a first-round pick in 2018 like Miles Bridges, inked a four-year, $90 million extension with the Phoenix Suns earlier this month. ESPN’s Tim McMahon noted on the podcast that Miles Bridges wouldn’t sign for $30 million less.
Based on how Bridges is playing for Charlotte this season, he should receive a better offer than $60 million over four years in restricted free agency. In five games, the 23-year-old is averaging 26.2 points, which leads the Hornets, 8.0 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game while shooting 52.7 percent from the field and 39.5 percent on three-pointers.
If Bridges receives a better offer from another team, the Hornets can match.
There’s no question that Miles Bridges is currently putting up great numbers, and his 3PT shooting isn’t at a ridiculous percentage, suggesting that there’s a good possibility that he can keep up a similar shooting level for the rest of the season.
Miles Bridges’ situation is somewhat similar to another player from his draft class in Deandre Ayton, who had expectations of a 5-year max from the Phoenix Suns, which they weren’t prepared to offer. It was clear that the best course of action in these scenarios is to prove to the franchise that one deserves the max, and both players have had solid starts to the season.
Hopefully, we see Miles Bridges get an extension, and he keeps up his current play for the remaining games of the season, he will deserve a max offer or one close to it. He has been key to the Hornets’ 4-2 start, and perhaps we’ll see the team continue on the same path for the rest of the year.
