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A steal of a deal? How the Miles Bridges contract is panning out for the Hornets

Originally posted on Charlotte Hornets on SI
By Austin Leake | Last updated May 31, 2025 9:35 AM ET

It's been close to a year now since the Hornets re-signed Miles Bridges last summer. At the time, there was some doubt if the Hornets would even bring him back, due to new ownership in place, other potential suitors for Bridges, and the amount of time it took to re-sign him during the free agency period.

However, new ownership has believed in the Hornets forward, which so far seems to have been the right choice.

Bridges has been one of the Hornets' most reliable players on a night-to-night basis for the past couple of seasons. He's averaged 20 or more points per game in his last three seasons played, while also appearing in 60 or more games in every year of his career.

Not only has he been effective with his play, but his leadership on and off the court has been vastly important for a youthful Hornets squad. Head coach Charles Lee and Bridges' teammates have been fond of having him on the squad, as they've offered a lot of praise about the 27-year-old.

With that being said, let's look back on his contract that was given to him on July 6th of 2024, where he received a three-year deal worth $75 million. Below is a look at his salary that he is or will be making in each year of his contract.

Many people at the time thought the three-year, $75 million deal for Bridges was an overpay, but most likely didn't realize the details in his contract that favor the Hornets.

As you can see above, his contract decreases each season, which is typically not a common occurrence in most contracts. Most players won't sign a deal unless the contract expands each season, which is another reason why this is an ideal situation for the Hornets.

To make it better, Bridges was the team's most consistent player this past season and even had a stretch of seven straight 20+ point games, with four of those games being 30+ point performances.

Contracts are becoming much pricier for teams to pay their players, which means in a couple of seasons, there could be well over a hundred players making $25 million or more.

Next season, Bridges will be making $25 million, which places him 80th in the NBA for average salary in the 2025-2026 season. Bridges is easily a top-100 player in the NBA, which makes this contract look like a steal, as he heads into his second year of his three-year deal.

Not that they will, but if they were to look to trade Bridges, his contract would be perfect to match salaries in any potential deal for another player. However, it seems that both sides are content with where they are and that Bridges will be staying in the Queen City for the foreseeable future, which appears to be the correct decision.