Miles Bridges used his first public moment as a Sun to take a swipe at the Thunder, and he did it by leaning into a complaint that’s been echoing around the league for a while now.
At his introductory press conference on Wednesday, Bridges pointed back to Phoenix’s Round 1 loss to Oklahoma City, a sweep in which three of the four games were decided by double digits. He suggested the Suns didn’t get much help from the whistle in that series.
"I really didn't see any weaknesses. I feel like the Suns ran into the Thunder, who's a team fresh off of winning a ring.
A lot of calls didn't go their way," Bridges said. "I'm excited to add to this team.
I think I'm going to be a perfect fit. There's a lot of guys that can score."
The Thunder have become a familiar target, and not just for Bridges. The source of the frustration is obvious enough: when a team keeps rolling through the league, the complaints about physicality, officiating and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander getting to the line tend to follow.
But Phoenix doesn’t have much ground to stand on here. The series was a sweep, and the gap in talent showed from the start.
The Suns are trying to build on a season that caught plenty of people off guard. After trading Kevin Durant last offseason, they were widely expected to sink. Instead, Devin Booker, Dillon Brooks and the rest of the group put together a 45-37 regular season and became one of the league’s biggest surprises.
Phoenix has now doubled down on that roster by bringing in Bridges from the Charlotte Hornets. In the deal, the Suns sent out Grayson Allen, Royce O'Neale and a 2033 unprotected first-round pick. They got Bridges, a 2029 first-round pick and a 2027 second-round pick back.
Bridges spent eight seasons with Charlotte from 2018-26 and turned in a breakout year last season, averaging 17.1 points on 46% shooting, 5.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists. He also shot 33.3% from 3 on 5.8 attempts. Even as Charlotte was one of the better NBA teams in the second half of last year, the franchise still chose to shake up its core, with LaMelo Ball the biggest name moved this summer.
Bridges’ basketball fit is only part of the story. He has also had a difficult NBA path because of injuries and off-court issues.
During his press conference, he addressed his 2022 arrest for felony domestic violence. He later pleaded no contest to a felony domestic violence charge.
The NBA suspended Bridges for 30 games in April 2023, with 20 of those games already counted after he missed the entire 2022-23 season. He was also charged in 2023 with violating a protection order, misdemeanor child abuse and injury to personal property, though all three charges were dropped.
Bridges knows some Suns fans are uneasy about the move, and he said he has been working through counseling and therapy as he tries to move forward.
"It's mixed feelings about me being here," Bridges said. "But I take full responsibility for my actions.
I've been to counseling. I've been to therapy.
Right now, I'm prioritizing just being better as a man every day - on and off the court. Mainly off the court."
Phoenix is hoping Bridges gives it another scoring punch as the team tries to climb into the top six and stay out of the play-in tournament next season. If that happens, maybe the Suns won’t have to cross paths with Oklahoma City again anytime soon.
In Other News...
Thunder Fans Wont Love Where This Respected Former Coach Is Landing
Houston is lining up a familiar name for its coaching staff, planning to bring in veteran assistant Chip Engelland as a shooting specialist for Ime Udokas bench. For Thunder fans, it is the kind of move that stings a little more because Engelland was part of Oklahoma Citys staff for the past four seasons after a long run in San Antonio, where he built a reputation as one of the leagues most respected shooting teachers.
The appeal for the Rockets is obvious: they want more from their perimeter game and see Engelland as a way to help raise the level of their young core, including Amen Thompson and Tari Eason. For Oklahoma City, it is another reminder of how much value Engelland carried behind the scenes, and why a coach with that track record landing in a division rival is the sort of development that tends to linger. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Arena Deal Suddenly Looks Like The NBA's Gold Standard
As Portland and city leaders work through the future of the Moda Center, the Thunders own arena situation has become a useful reference point in the background. Oklahoma City recently helped fund a near-billion-dollar new arena and locked in a 25-year lease that keeps the franchise in place through at least 2050, a package that now stands out as one of the leagues cleanest public-private arrangements.
That comparison matters because the Blazers talks are heading in a different direction, with the city pushing for a long-term lease tied to renovations while ownership is reportedly exploring something much bigger. The Athletic noted that Portland is studying recent arena deals in Oklahoma City and Utah, and the shape of those negotiations will say plenty about whether the next chapter for the franchise is a remodel or a reset. [Read more 🡒]
Thunder Fans Knew This Painful Offseason Choice Was Finally Coming
The Thunders offseason was never going to be just about chasing the next step on the court. After building a contender and stacking young talent, Oklahoma City also had to confront the reality of a payroll that was closing in on the kind of penalties that can reshape a roster as much as any injury or trade deadline swing. General manager Sam Presti chose the harder path, moving out familiar rotation pieces while trying to keep the teams long-term structure intact.
For fans, the sting came with the names attached to the cost-cutting. Luguentz Dort, Andrew Wiggins and Isaiah Joe were among the players shipped out as Oklahoma City worked to ease its financial burden, but the front office did not simply dump talent and call it a day. The Thunder also added a pile of second-round picks and preserved flexibility around key pieces like Isaiah Hartenstein and Cason Wallace, a sign that this was less a step back than a calculated reset with future seasons in mind. [Read more 🡒]