The Real Reason the Hornets May Have Traded LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges

The Charlotte Hornets probably had a lot of reasons to trade both Miles Bridges and LaMelo Ball. Bridges was on an expiring contract, which is like gold in NBA trades. He was also somewhat immature, had previous off-court issues, and was declining on the court.

Ball has a troubling injury history. His salary was huge, and he could've been extended for even more money. He also doesn't seem to hold up as well against highly physical defense, which the NBA playoffs are rife with.

Ultimately, though, it might've simply come down to the fact that Hornets brass didn't like those two as the leaders of their team. Tim McMahon, who has long been critical of Ball and the Hornets, believes that may be the case.

🎙️ @BannedMacMahon: "Jeff Peterson won't sit there and say it, but he has a very clear vision for the culture he wants for the Charlotte Hornets. LaMelo Ball & Miles Bridges did not fit that. They'll have the culture he wants as they build around Brandon Miller & Kon Knueppel." pic.twitter.com/PR0xW3WcPR
— r/CharlotteHornets (@HornetsReddit) July 24, 2026

He started by praising the Hornets, who "won the race" for the Phoenix Suns' 2033 first-round pick, and said he couldn't believe they were able to get that pick for Bridges. He called them the winners of this offseason.

McMahon admitted that "there is a chance" the Ball trade backfires and makes the Hornets look pretty bad. But he also said he hasn't heard anyone say the Hornets made a bad trade there. In fact, the opposite is true.

But ultimately, it comes down to, in McMahon's eyes, the fact that the Hornets have a vision in mind and certain leaders they want, and Ball and Bridges did not fit the description as well as others on the roster.

"Jeff Peterson won't sit there and say it, but he has a very clear vision for the culture he wants for the Charlotte Hornets. LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges did not fit that," McMahon concluded. "They're going to have the culture he wants as they build around Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel."

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (2) drives down the court between Charlotte Hornets guard/forward Kon Knueppel (7) and forward Brandon Miller | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

This does, unfortunately, speak to previous unfair criticisms that Ball couldn't lead. Everyone in the building praised Ball's leadership last season, although it's certainly plausible that his style still wasn't what the new brass wanted.

As for Bridges, this criticism is warranted. He is the veteran leader on the team, and he's had enough incidents in his career that he ought to know better. Yet, he was still needlessly getting involved in the fight with the Detroit Pistons and got suspended for multiple games.

He was also lucky to remain in the game after elbowing a downed Desmond Bane during the Play-In blowout loss to the Orlando Magic, so it is fair to say he was not the leader this team needed.

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