In July 2024, the Charlotte Hornets signed Miles Bridges to a new contract worth $75 million over three years. What everyone noticed about this deal right away was that it was a frontloaded contract, meaning the value decreases with each year. Bridges is earning $27.2 million this season, and he will earn $25 million and $22.8 million in the next two respective seasons.
One could say that this is simply how a lot of deals are structured these days, and decide not to read too much into it. But on the other hand, it is possible that the Hornets designed Bridges' contract in a way that it could be easily traded if they did decide to go in that direction in the future. This was the takeaway that many observers had when the terms of the contract were released last summer.
Well, if Charlotte was questioning whether they wanted to eventually send Bridges elsewhere at the start of the season, they have a bit more data to work with now. The output that Miles produced this season was exceptional, and it should make the decision to keep him in the Queen City quite a bit easier.
The Hornets should want to keep Bridges around
With six games remaining on the Hornets' regular season schedule, Bridges is averaging 20.6 points, marking his third campaign in a row with over 20 PPG. Miles re-affirmed his ability as a three-level scorer and a foundational piece of this team, but the manner in which he did so is the most notable part of this development.
Entering the year, Bridges himself stated that he wanted to let LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller do most of the scoring while he helped as an ancillary offensive piece. That plan changed in a big way when it was announced back on Jan. 23 that Miller would miss the remainder of the season with a right wrist injury.
Even though Charlotte was already a long shot to make the playoffs by this point, Miles did what he had to do and stepped up in Miller's absence. After some struggles to begin the year due to a changing role, Bridges got back to doing what he does best and was the Hornets' most consistent player in the second half of the season, reaching some remarkable highs along the way. Between March 3 and March 10, he became just the fourth NBA player this season to average 33.0 points, 8.6 rebounds and 4.0 assists in any five-game stretch.
Bridges' improvements on defense have been well-documented as well. He may not be quite the show-stopping in-game dunker he used to be, but Miles' all-around game is not something that grows on trees. His production for this Hornets team has been significant, and the front office should now feel even more comfortable about keeping him in Charlotte long-term.