Report: Miles Bridges agrees to three-year, $75 million deal to return to Charlotte Hornets
Free agent Miles Bridges has agreed to stay with the Charlotte Hornets on a three-year, $75 million deal, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
His agent, Rich Paul, finalized the deal with the Hornets on Saturday. Bridges will return to Charlotte and rejoin LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller. Bridges, who has spent his entire five-year career in Charlotte, averaged 21.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists during the 2023-24 season. There is no option on the deal.
According to Wojnarowski during an appearance on SportsCenter on Friday, he revealed that the Hornets had already offered her a deal but were allowing him to explore potential sign-and-trade options, as they were holding firm to the current offer. It’s unclear if that offer was the final one that Bridges ultimately signed, as Wojnarowski reported that the length of the contract was the biggest difference in the negotiations between Bridges and the Hornets.
The Hornets were aggressive in their pursuit to keep Bridges in Charlotte. General manager Jeff Peterson and head coach Charles Lee both spent time with him since the offseason began in the hopes of retaining his talents.
Bridges was the No. 12 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. Before the NBA, he spent two seasons at Michigan State.
This past season, the Hornets finished 21-61, ultimately finishing 15 games back from the play-in tournament. Their record saw them finish in fourth place in the Southeast Division, which featured three teams that ultimately made the postseason in the Orlando Magic, Miami Heat and Atlanta Hawks (play in).
Ball, the team’s centerpiece, played just 22 games this past season due to injury. The Hornets also traded Terry Rozier away to the Miami Heat after averaging 23.2 points per game during his 30-game stay in 2023. Bridges was an anchor all season, playing 69 of the 82 games this past season while Miller complemented him nicely on the wing with 17.3 points per game.
Heading into the offseason, the core of Ball, Miller, Bridges, Mark Williams and Josh Green will look to improve on their tumultuous season in 2023-24. It remains to be seen if the Charlotte Hornets front office opts to add any additional, instant-impact talent as the new season takes place. However, the final roster is already beginning to take shape after the 2024 NBA Draft additions of No. 6 overall pick Tidjane Salaun and second-rounder KJ Simpson, not to mention Bridges’ three-year commitment to play for the organization.