Is this Miles Bridges last ride with the Charlotte Hornets?

The Charlotte Hornets have stood by Miles Bridges through a lot. He was arrested in 2022 for domestic violence and eventually pleaded no contest to a felony domestic violence charge.

A lot has happened since then, but the Hornets have kept him on the roster through it all. He hasn't produced at the same level, though.

His shooting percentages have gone down each year since his arrest, including from three. He is not a great defender either, so he can't lean on that.

Why this could be Miles Bridges' last season with the Hornets

Bridges is going to be replaced in the pecking order by Brandon Miller in terms of the hierarchy of the team. Bridges is no longer the first option or even the second option.

The only reason why Bridges was able to keep his stats up the last couple of years is that both LaMelo Ball and Miller were hurt. In other words, someone else had to score points.

Charlotte held onto Bridges because he was a young player who showed promise before his off-court situation occurred. Now, he's 27 years old and has fully developed.

Bridges isn't a bad player by any means. 20-point-per-game scorers don't grow on trees. Until Charlotte can get some other guys who can reliably score and stay on the court, Bridges has a chance to stay with the Hornets.

If Charlotte does want to part ways with Bridges, they should have a handful of teams who would be interested in making a trade, albeit not with the same role available to him as he's had in Charlotte.

Miles Bridges needs a career year to stay with the Hornets beyond next season

Bridges has two more years left on his deal. He could be a valuable trade chip after next season as an expiring deal. If Charlotte believes they can make the playoffs without him and make a deep run, he can be angled as a trade chip. Or if they want to open up more playing time for Tidjane Salaun or another young player, the same applies.

The Hornets need Miller to step up and take Bridges' role before they can feel comfortable letting him go in a trade or in free agency. This season is going to be he one that determines his future.

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