What Could Miles Bridges' Contract Look Like?
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At this point there is a sense of inevitability that Miles Bridges will ultimately end up back in Charlotte. I don't like it, but no matter what your view is, how Bridges' eventual contract looks will have a huge impact in terms of building this roster going forward. After looking into Charlotte's salary cap situation and the CBA rules, there is a fair middle ground both parties could reach.
Multi Year Deal + Non Guarantees & Team Option
In October, Houston's Kevin Porter Jr signed a four year $83 million extension. However, the contract structure was quite peculiar, with only $16 guaranteed in the first season, followed by three years of non-guaranteed salaries and a team option on the final year. Each year's baseline salary of $15.8 had up to $2.5 in likely incentives to raise the per year salary up to a likely total of $18 per year.
Kevin Porter Jr Contract Extension Details
The reason this contract was agreed in such a structure was due to Kevin Porter Jr's shaky history of off-court behaviour. The Rockets successfully negotiated a contract which will not only incentivise Porter Jr to stay out of trouble, but it also protects them from long term financial burden if things were to take a turn for the worse.
A three year deal with a similar non-guaranteed structure would make some sense. From Bridges' pint of view that would match up with the length of his probation. If all goes well, Bridges and his agent would likely want to get back out on the open market at 28 years old with his off-court issues behind him looking for maximum value. On Charlotte's side, a three year deal would also give the team Bridges' "Bird Rights" positioning them well to re-sign him without needing CAP space. This magical three year deal would seem to benefit both sides. However, giving out a large multi-year deal (Even if it's non-guaranteed) to Bridges off the back of his off court issues is still a hard sell. I would expect a heavy amount of criticism from the NBA and local community, even with the contractual safeguards in place.
The per year salary figure for Bridges is anyone's guess. How can anyone equate a no contest plead for a felony domestic violence charge (Two other felony charges were dropped) to an NBA contract value reduction? This, along with the NBA's own investigation to determine the length of suspension is likely what the team and Bridges' camp are currently working through. If I was Bridges agent I would argue he still has the same value as a player on the court as he did in the summer and that he's worth the same money. If I'm Mitch Kupchak I make the point that he can't just expect to be paid at the same level. Bridges has eroded his trust and reputation while also bringing the franchise's name into disrepute and there must be some repercussions.
Rich Paul - Miles Bridges' agent who founded Klutch and manages LeBron James + Several other high profile NBA players
If an agreement can't be reached by the two camps, then Bridges could let the qualifying offer expire on March 1st and become an unrestricted free agent. At that point he could sign with anyone, likely on a vet minimum due to limited CAP space within the league. But that won't happen. Can you imagine, Bridges signing for a vet minimum with the Celtics and helping them win the championship? There's no way I see Adam Silver and the NBA letting that happen, so I expect any suspension to be long enough it would rule this possibility out.
Bridges could choose to not sign with anyone at all for the 2022 season and become an unrestricted free agent in 2023. The issue he would face then is any suspension imposed by the NBA would not start until next season, meaning he would miss even more time in his career.
Other options?
- A one year deal would make little sense, Bridges would be suspended for the majority, if not all of the season and at the end of the contract he would be an unrestricted free agent.
- A guaranteed multi-year deal in a similar region to what was reported in the summer (Near Max money) seems unlikely. Not only would it be a PR nightmare, but Charlotte would then inherit an undue amount of risk. The team haven't seen him play basketball in 6 months and questions around his off-court actions remain.
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