It’s time to move on. The Charlotte Hornets are entering a pivotal stage in their rebuild where the team will either ascend to the next tier of fighting for a playoff spot/being middle-of-the-pack to build a winning culture, or continue the endless rebuild process in which they have been in since the departure of Kemba Walker. While Miles Bridges has been a dynamic contributor, 2026 could be the ideal time to explore trade options that align with the franchise’s current timeline.
Bridges, who isn’t a favorite amongst fans recently due to his hero ball stunts as of late, is known for his above-average athleticism and scoring ability. This potentially makes him a tantalizing asset in future trade talks, which I’m sure the Hornets front office will be exploring, considering the team is off to a 4-14 start.
But do the Hornets really need to trade Bridges? There are definitely various reasons to do so.
Market value
Contrary to popular belief, Bridges still has market value. He will never be the No. 1 scoring option, but NBA playoff teams need an entire roster to win.
His current contract runs through the 2026-27 season, so there wouldn’t be any long-term commitments should the team that acquires him decide to part ways.
Bridges is playing around minutes per game on 42/35/87 shooting splits. Add in the fact that he has been mostly healthy throughout his NBA career, and you can see why a win-now team would want to add a proven scorer to its roster.
Charles Lee’s experimental rotations
Hornets coach Charles Lee hasn’t had much to work with in his second year due to the litany of injuries that continue to plague the team.
Lee has been criticized for his exploratory rotations so far this season, but Hornets fans need to remember that he felt confident in the Ryan Kalkbrenner-Moussa Diabate center rotation, which has shown promise. If he wants to double down on that effort, he could free up even more minutes for younger guys like Tidjane Salaun (who’s currently in the G League) or Liam McNeeley. This would make the most sense to help the organization better assess what it has in its younger guys.
Playstyle, timeline don’t fit
If LaMelo Ball is truly the guy and going to be the cornerstone of your franchise, you have to build an offense around him that caters to his strengths. While Bridges can score in a myriad of ways, he’s shooting 34 percent from beyond the arc so far this season.
The Hornets are focused on fast-tempo transition offense when Ball is on the floor. If Bridges can’t knock down open threes at a high clip, then he limits scoring opportunities for this team, especially when you consider Bridges is attempting over eight three-pointers a game!
Bridges doesn’t fit into the Ball/Brandon Miller/Kon Knueppel timeline. He has shown the tendency to go rogue with the ball, which can limit the upside of this team. I’d rather have someone who can impact the floor without the ball in their hands. The Hornets could swap Bridges out for a better fit player to the team’s current roster construction (think a true stretch four like Jerami Grant or Lauri Markkanen).
Trading Bridges is ultimately about strategic roster management. You can turn an asset who’s in his prime into value for a franchise desperate to sniff a playoff run.
What Charlotte cannot do is hold Bridges through the trade deadline, as he doesn’t mesh well with the current team dynamic or timeline. Instead, he can provide meaningful minutes to a team that is in win-now mode, while also not limiting the Hornets’ ceiling.
