Miles Bridges Featured on ESPN's Top 20 Free Agent List

Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges among the best 20 available players this summer.

Apr 5, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges (0) brings the ball up court against the Orlando Magic during the second half at Spectrum Center. Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports | Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Not many around the league, myself included, expected Miles Bridges to play as well as he did after being removed from the team for a full season. He posted similar numbers (21 ppg, 7.3 reb, 3.3 ast) to the last time he was on the court, however, he didn't offer quite the same bounce or aggressiveness in the paint as he did in 2021-22. He settled for more jumpers and some of that can be attributed to the personnel issues the Charlotte Hornets had all season long.

Nonetheless, Bridges is still considered to be one of the top free agents in the NBA. According to Kevin Pelton of ESPN he's the 16th-best available free agent, ranking ahead of Buddy Hield, Tyus Jones, Isaiah Hartenstein, and Markelle Fultz.

"Based strictly on basketball, Bridges would be one of this summer's most coveted free agents. He is a versatile forward who is unrestricted at age 26 and has averaged 20-plus PPG during each of his past two seasons. Bridges sat out the entire 2022-23 campaign, however, after pleading no contest to felony domestic violence charges in November 2022. Suspended by the NBA for the first 10 games of this past season on top of the time missed, Bridges played for his $7.9 million qualifying offer as a restricted free agent, making him unrestricted this year."

READ MORE ABOUT THE HORNETS

LaMelo Ball Named 'Ambitious Trade Target' for Houston

Hornets Head Coach Charles Lee Heading to NBA Finals

Three Best Options for the Hornets in the Draft