For a while, the Hornets’ star equation was simple: keep Miles Bridges, and LaMelo Ball stays happy. That logic held through the early years of Ball’s career, when Bridges and Ball were viewed as a package deal because of their chemistry on and off the floor. There was even real concern from the fan base that Ball might not remain in Charlotte beyond his rookie contract if the team moved Bridges.
That fear never materialized. Ball signed a max deal and, by the source’s account, had every intention of sticking around.
Then the offseason hit, and Charlotte changed course after another embarrassing exit in the Play-In Tournament. The Hornets sent LaMelo to Minnesota, and with that move came the clearest sign yet that the old pairing was finished. As the source puts it, the two were linked all along: if Bridges stayed in Charlotte, Ball would too, and vice versa.
Hornets president of basketball ops Jeff Peterson said as much on the team’s recent episode of Reel Access, where the front office’s trade conversations were shown behind the scenes. “If we trade LaMelo, we’re probably trading Miles," he told members of his staff.
Once Ball was dealt, Bridges became expendable for several reasons. Naz Reid was the centerpiece of the package in the LaMelo trade, which would have pushed Bridges into a bench role.
Paying $22.8M for a player coming off the bench made little sense, and Charlotte also needed to improve its depth by giving something up. Bridges, the source says, had the most trade value among the players the team was willing to move.
Peterson also pointed to the return Charlotte got when Bridges was dealt. “Phoenix is a team that has liked Miles for quite some time," said Peterson.
"It was one of those things where what we were getting back in Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale - two respectable players in this league who’ve had really good careers considering just where they started. And getting that 2033 unprotected pick was something that we felt good about to have in our back pocket to whenever the time comes to maybe package some assets and go get a player that can help make a difference on this team.”
Bridges had been with the Hornets for seven years, making him the franchise’s longest-tenured player at the time of the trade. In that stretch, Charlotte never reached the playoffs. The move marked a shift toward a different kind of roster, one built around players who had already been part of winning before.
In Other News...
Hornets Fans May Not Love What Schroder Is Already Signaling
Dennis Schroder is already thinking about the back half of his basketball life, and that matters for Hornets fans because he is still in the middle of shaping what his Charlotte stint could look like. The veteran guard spoke recently about the length of his NBA career and gave a sense that he is not viewing this chapter as the start of an endless run, which is the sort of answer that tends to catch the attention of any fanbase trying to map out a future.
Schroder also pointed to Braunschweig as the place he would like to finish playing, a reminder that even as he settles into a new NBA stop, his long-term compass is pointed back home. For Charlotte, it adds another layer to a situation already built around short-term fit and immediate usefulness, because the Hornets are not just evaluating what he brings now, but how much runway there really is before his career path starts heading elsewhere. [Read more 🡒]
Cam Whitmore Suddenly Feels Like A Nets Fit To Watch
Cam Whitmores name has already bounced through another round of trade chatter after Cleveland brought him in as part of a multi-team deal, only for the next question to become what the Cavs actually plan to do with him. Hes still a young player with real NBA mileage, and the appeal is obvious enough that once the initial transaction dust settles, the conversation quickly shifts from acquisition to availability.
For teams still looking to add talent without a long wait, that kind of uncertainty always creates a lane, and Charlotte would have reason to keep an eye on it. Whitmores profile makes him the type of swing worth monitoring if he gets loose, especially with several clubs mentioned as possible landing spots, but the real intrigue is whether the market ever opens wide enough for the Hornets to jump in. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Payroll Shift Just Changed The Team's Biggest Debate
Charlottes offseason has already altered the look of the Hornets payroll in a way that goes beyond the usual roster churn. By moving on from a pair of heavyweight deals and adding Coby White on a new contract, the team has shifted into a much more flexible financial posture, one that gives it room to manage the roster with a little more breathing room and a lot less baggage.
Brandon Miller is now the name that sits closest to the center of the conversation, especially with the Hornets carrying several relatively low cap hits elsewhere on the books. The clean-up job has created a more cost-effective setup for the present, but it also raises the next big question in Charlotte: how aggressively the front office wants to lock in its young core before the market forces its hand. [Read more 🡒]