The Charlotte Hornets appeared to be at a crossroads regarding the future of Miles Bridges. The star forward is reportedly seeking a max contract this offseason, and it was not believed that the Hornets were willing to pay him quite that much. Despite that, recent comments from GM Mitch Kupchak indicate that the Hornets have no plans of letting the 24-year-old leave this summer, suggesting he's a big part of their plans going forward, via Bally Sports.
“We love Miles. We’re going to bring him back.”
Mitch Kupchak on Miles Bridges ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/FYvJw98hkE
— Bally Sports: Hornets (@HornetsOnBally) June 28, 2022
Speaking during the press conference to announce Steve Clifford as the Hornets' new head coach, Kupchak took the time to address the Bridges rumors.
“I will say, as an organization, we love Miles [Bridges]. We're going to bring him back, he's been great for the franchise, and I believe with his work ethic, he's only going to get better.”
Kupchak's comments oppose the recent rumors that Bridges could leave Charlotte this offseason should another team be willing to give him the max deal he's seeking. While he didn't indicate that the Hornets would pony up and hand Bridges a max deal, he made clear that the team has no intentions of moving on from the star forward.
Last year, Bridges had a breakout season in Charlotte. He averaged career-highs in points (20.7), rebounds (7.0), assists (3.8), and minutes per game (35.5). His shooting percentages went down, but that is natural considering he took an average of 15.2 field goal attempts per game in 2021-22 compared to just 9.4 in 2020-21.
Hornets fans will be buzzing over the latest update on Bridges' future, and hopefully, Kupchak follows up his comments with some action and gets a deal done with the high-flying 24-year-old.
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