NBA Free Agency: Magic Would Have Much to Consider with Miles Bridges

ORLANDO — By age and basketball production, Miles Bridges is arguably among the most talented free agents for the Orlando Magic to consider this offseason. But then, any team interested in the 26-year-old Charlotte Hornets star also will take into account his domestic violence history.

Bridges sat out the 2022-23 NBA season as a result of the June 2022 domestic violence case that accused him of assaulting his former girlfriend in front of their children.

Rather than risk up to 11 years in prison for the three felony charges he was facing, Bridges pleaded no contest in November 2022 to one felony count of injuring a child’s parent.

Bridges received three years of probation during which "he will be required to complete 52 weeks of domestic violence counseling and 52 weeks of parenting classes, serve 100 hours of community service, and undergo weekly narcotics testing (with marijuana allowed only if there is a valid doctor's prescription). He cannot own any guns, ammunition or any weapons," ESPN reported at the time.

"(Bridges) must obey the terms of a 10-year protective order, staying 100 yards away from and having no contact with the woman. Bridges and the woman maintain custody over their two children, and any visitation or exchange of children must be done peacefully and through a neutral third party. agreeing to do so in exchange for three years of probation and no jail time."

Bridges missed the first 10 games of the 2023-24 season as part of a league-imposed 30-game suspension, which acknowledged him sitting out all of 2022-23 to account for the first 20 games of his suspension.

Despite the off-court issues, Bridges was a productive player. In his comeback season, Bridges averaged 21 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists — numbers comparable to his stats before suspension, but his film looked different than in years past.

With the face of the franchise, LaMelo Ball, dealing with injuries for most of the season, the 6-foot-7 Bridges posted a career-high usage rate (23.5%) as the team’s No. 2 option next to star rookie Brandon Miller.

Bridges' efficiency suffered as he settled for mid-range shots and his true shooting percentage fell from 60 to 56 percent. His 34.9 percent success rate on three-pointers was below the league average for his position — possibly a red flag for the Magic, who ranked among the worst 3-point shooting teams in the NBA and need more outside scoring.

As for defense, a point of pride for the Magic, Bridges' "off-ball awareness remained eye-poppingly bad," AllHornets.com reported. "His declining athleticism also showed up on the defensive end, with a career low in blocks (0.5) despite a career high in minutes."

Bridges' expiring one-year contract paid him $8 million. His camp reportedly rejected a Hornets offer last fall of four years and $60 million.

NBA teams can begin negotiating with free agents on June 30 at 6 p.m. ET.

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