3 Miles Bridges trades that could elevate or sink the Hornets

Firm reporting came out Friday morning from Yahoo's Jake Fischer, that three teams are confirmed to have some level of interest in acquiring Miles Bridges ahead of the February 8th NBA trade deadline. The market for Bridges is extremely difficult to gauge, as he is a good young player on a cheap expiring contract who comes with a bevy of off-court issues and history. The PR hit alone from trading for Bridges is likely a non-starter for many teams across the NBA, but the goal is to win games, and there are certainly teams that believe Bridges can help them achieve that goal.

So there is clearly a market for his services, but what that market may look like is a bit mysterious at the moment. Complicating matters even further, is the fact that Bridges currently has the right to veto any trade this season. So it would take interest from both an acquiring team as well as Bridges himself to make any deal a reality. Still, if a team is willing to give up assets for Miles and then to pay him this offseason, he’d probably be wise to at least consider. Let’s take a look at a hypothetical package from each of the teams that were reported to have expressed interest.

For the Suns, the motivation here is pretty clear. Bridges would instantly slot in as their fourth best player, and would have a massive role on a team that is in “win-now” mode. Bridges would be very helpful for their playoff push and realistically, he’s the best player they could possibly add at the deadline given their limited assets available. Plus, new Suns owner, Matt Ishbia is a Michigan State guy, like Bridges, and may have a soft spot.

But is this enough for the Hornets? It’s basically every pick the Suns have to offer, which is still only four uninspiring 2nd rounders. Those do add up, and accumulating picks (even bad ones) is still good business for a rebuilding team. 

Nassir Little is only 23 and the move to Charlotte could help get his career on track. If it did, he’s on a very team-friendly deal through the 2026-27 season. Bol Bol would be an interesting throw in here too for the Hornets. He’s flashed some skills with his crazy long frame, but it’s not clear if he’ll ever be a consistent NBA rotation player. He’s worth a flier for the rest of this season before he expires though.

If the clock is ticking down towards the deadline and this is the only offer on the table, I think the Hornets can probably talk themselves into it, but it’s a meager return for a promising young player and they may be better suited to just hang onto him themselves.