There have been plenty of hypothetical trade proposals out there this offseason. Some are rooted in reality with players that the Charlotte Hornets could move, and others pure fantasy, but this one includes a player that has not been mentioned all that much this offseason. The deal, appearing on Bleacher Report as proposed by Zach Buckley, has the Hornets agreeing to a trade with the Dallas Mavericks.
Charlotte would be sending recently re-signed forward Miles Bridges to the Western Conference in exchange for a 2026 first-round draft selection and fourth-year guard Josh Green. This particular trade was under the Mavericks section of the article, with the deal being angled at finding a “third-star” alongside Luke Doncic, the second being Kyrie Irving.
"“While the Mavericks have made multiple attempts to find the right co-star for Luka Dončić, perhaps their biggest problem has been a fruitless-to-this-point search for a third star. Since their asset collection is limited by previous deals for those second options, they have to identify potentially discounted players with the upside of filling the NBA’s next Big Three.”"
Bridges is a very talented player, but legal issues kept him from playing a single minute last season, and he will miss the first 10 games of the upcoming campaign due to a suspension. Buckley does note that Bridges becomes an unrestricted free agent after the year and that it could play a factor in whether or not the team decides to move him at some point this season.
Regarding the return for Bridges. If the Hornets can get a first-round draft pick, in addition to a young player who has steadily improved over his first three seasons, for someone who may not be in Charlotte beyond this year, they should seriously consider that prospect. It is about understanding completive windows. The Hornets are more than likely at least one year away from making a serious run to the Play-In Tournament.
Being able to get a quality draft asset as they work to build their roster for the future is a way that his franchise needs to operate. Accumulate draft capital to either use in the draft or utilize it to acquire an already established talented player to insert into their roster configuration. Whichever way the Hornets decide to use the pick would be positive, as they still need to add talent by almost any means necessary.
The Charlotte Hornets need to part ways with Kai Jones
Enough is enough. The time has come for the Charlotte Hornets to part ways with Kai Jones after the recent series of events.