The Charlotte Hornets are making their feelings on Miles Bridges abundantly clear.
The Charlotte Hornets have been playing much better basketball lately, but they are still expected to sell between now and the NBA trade deadline.
One of the Hornets' top trade chips is Miles Bridges, who is making $25 million this season and has another year left on his contract.
But is Charlotte actually serious about moving the 27-year-old?
Sam Amick of The Athletic recently reported that the Hornets are potentially seeking a pair of first-round draft picks for Bridges, which is a pretty astounding price for a solid — not great — player.
Bridges definitely has value. Don't get it twisted. He is a good microwave scorer and possesses useful defensive versatility. But the chances of Charlotte bagging two first-rounders for him are slim.
The Michigan State product is averaging 18.7 points and 6.2 rebounds over 32.7 minutes per game on 44.5/33.4/83.2 shooting splits this season and owns lifetime averages of 16 point and 6.2 boards a night on 46.0/33.9/82.7 splits.
Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges. Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images.Bridges could certainly help a contender, much in the same way that Marcus Morris did throughout his career. The fact that several teams are reportedly interested in him is not surprising. But they'll surely balk at the price.
The Golden State Warriors, for example, are one of the clubs intrigued by the idea of adding Bridges after Jimmy Butler went down with a torn ACL. However, the thought of the Warriors — who may very well have to blow up their roster within another a year two — moving multiple first-round draft choices for Bridges seems ludicrous.
Essentially, the Hornets really don't want to move Bridges, and to be quite honest, they don't have to. He isn't hitting free agency this summer, and he has been a pivotal part of their turnaround over the last several weeks.
Obviously, Bridges' value will be higher now than it will be at next year's trade deadline, but Charlotte could play the middle ground and just opt to move him over the summer. Or perhaps the Hornets extend him again?
It doesn't appear that Charlotte is entirely serious about trading Bridges. Perhaps the Hornets will come down on their asking price before the Feb. 5 deadline, but it's also a legitimate possibility that Charlotte wants to hold on to him.
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