The Charlotte Hornets plan to make forward Miles Bridges available in trade discussions tied to the 2026 NBA Draft. Bridges, 28, enters the final season of his three-year, $75 million contract signed in 2024 after seven seasons exclusively with Charlotte.
LaMelo Ball anchored the offense in 72 games during the 2025-26 season, averaging 20.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 7.1 assists while shooting 40.7 percent from the field and 36.8 percent from three-point range on 272 made threes, second-most in the league. He reduced turnovers to 2.8 per game and personal fouls to 2.7, his lowest marks in those categories since his rookie year, on the third season of a five-year, $208.3 million deal worth $40.7 million this season.
Bridges offers scoring punch and defensive versatility at the wing but creates spacing and fit questions next to Ball and the rest of the young core. His expiring deal gives Charlotte leverage to extract assets without long-term salary commitment, especially if the front office prioritizes adding shooting or size that complements Ball's playmaking in half-court sets.
The Hornets finished 44-38, ninth in the Eastern Conference, reached the play-in tournament and defeated Miami before a lopsided loss to Orlando that extended their playoff drought to a decade. Jeff Peterson praised Bridges in April for daily leadership and commitment during the prior 19-win season, yet the front office now views the veteran as movable as it evaluates the full roster from top to bottom.
Decisions on Bridges will intersect with the June draft, where Charlotte holds multiple first-round picks, and subsequent free-agency moves to reshape the rotation before training camp. Any deal would need to clear the path for younger players while addressing the team's inability to advance past the play-in stage.
Charlotte's willingness to move its longest-tenured player signals a sharper focus on roster construction around Ball rather than incremental continuity.
Charlotte Hornets 
