This Charlotte Hornets star has voiced his honest opinion on the rumors leading up to the NBA trade deadline.
The Charlotte Hornets have actually been playing some solid basketball lately, but they are still just 18-28 and clearly not contenders in the Eastern Conference.
As a result, the Hornets are expected to sell some pieces between now and the NBA trade deadline, and Miles Bridges' name has been at the forefront of the rumors.
Bridges finished with 20 points and four assists on 7-of-13 shooting during Charlotte's win over the Washington Wizards on Saturday night, and afterward, he was asked about his name surfacing in trade speculation.
“Just focus on winning, focus on controlling what I can control,” Bridges said, via Roderick Boone of The Charlotte Observer. “If I get traded, if I don’t get traded. … I would rather be here."
Bridges signed a three-year, $75 million extension with the Hornets during the summer of 2024 and has another year remaining on the deal.
"But I know if I do get traded, I know (president of basketball operations) Jeff Peterson and those guys, they’ll talk to me first," Bridges added. "So, I don’t try to worry about that. I just worry about the games.”
Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges. Credit: Sam Sharpe-Imagn Images.The 27-year-old is averaging 18.7 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.5 assists over 32.7 minutes per game on 44.5/33.4/83.2 shooting splits this season.
Bridges said he would prefer to remain in Charlotte long term because he likes what the Hornets appear to be building, but he also seems to understand that the league is a business and trades do happen.
“Yeah, I for sure want to be a part of it,” Bridges said. “I feel like everybody else wants everybody to stay together. But you’ve just got to control what you can control, continue to stack games.”
Bridges was originally selected with the 12th overall pick of the 2018 NBA Draft and has spent his entire career in Charlotte, registering 16 points and 6.2 rebounds a night while shooting 46 percent from the floor and 33.9 percent from three-point range.
The Michigan State product had recorded over 20 points per game in each of his three preceding seasons, so he is definitely a solid scorer. He also possesses the ability to defend multiple positions defensively.
Bridges' versatility would absolutely have value to a contending team, so we will see if he ultimately gets dealt before Feb. 5.