By Trading LaMelo, the Hornets Knew It Meant Miles Bridges Would Be Next

Jeff Peterson admitted that LaMelo's future was tied to Miles Bridges' in Charlotte.

Apr 14, 2026; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges (0) goes to the basket against Miami Heat center Kel'el Ware (7) during the second half during the play-in rounds between the Charlotte Hornets and the Miami Heat of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Remember earlier in LaMelo Ball's career how everyone was saying that the Hornets need to keep Miles Bridges around (pre-off-court incident) to keep him happy?

The two were tied together because of their chemistry on and off the court. There was some concern from the fan base that LaMelo wouldn't be in the Queen City beyond his rookie contract if the team traded Bridges. Well, Ball signed a max deal and had full intentions of staying put.

That all changed this offseason when the Hornets decided to pivot following another embarrassing exit in the Play-In Tournament and shipped LaMelo to Minnesota. And just as everyone thought, the two were indeed tied together. As long as Bridges was in Charlotte, LaMelo would be, and vise versa.

Hornets President of Basketball Ops Jeff Peterson admitted that during the team's recent episode of Reel Access, they showed behind-the-scenes trade discussions with the Hornets' front office. “If we trade LaMelo, we’re probably trading Miles," he told members of his staff.

It made sense for the Hornets to move Bridges for a variety of reasons.

Firstly, with Naz Reid being the centerpiece of the package in the LaMelo trade, Bridges would have been kicked to a bench role, and there's no need to pay a guy $22.8M to come off the bench. Also, in order to improve the team's depth, they had to give something up, and Bridges had the most trade value of the players they were willing to move on from.

“Phoenix is a team that has liked Miles for quite some time," said Peterson. "It was one of those things where what we were getting back in Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale — two respectable players in this league who’ve had really good careers considering just where they started. And getting that 2033 unprotected pick was something that we felt good about to have in our back pocket to whenever the time comes to maybe package some assets and go get a player that can help make a difference on this team.”

At the time of the trade, Bridges was the longest-tenured Hornet, spending seven years with the team, and during that time, they never made the playoffs. It was time for a change and to bring in guys who had been a part of winning before.

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