The Charlotte Hornets have been one of the more surprising teams in the NBA since the trade deadline. They made one big move, sending P.J. Washington to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for Seth Curry, Grant Williams and a 2027 first-round pick that is top two protected.
It made sense for Charlotte to sell high on Washington as they are going nowhere fast this season. They are heading toward another NBA Lottery, as they were 10-41 before the trade was completed.
With Williams and Curry in the rotation, Charlotte has gone 3-0 and shown some signs of life. Any positive finishes to the season would be great for a franchise that needs some direction. There is a lot of young talent on the roster but they are certainly lacking veteran leadership.
The front office is going to have some decisions to make this offseason as the direction of the team needs to be figured out. LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller and Mark Williams were deemed the only untouchables ahead of the NBA Trade Deadline as a trio they want to build around. Noticeably absent from that list is Miles Bridges.
Given his off-the-court issues, it isn’t overly surprising the Hornets haven’t committed to Bridges long-term. Is he someone they want to keep for the long haul and trust to build around? That is something ownership and the front office need to figure out.
There are questions about him off the court, but on the court, the decision should be an easy one; Bridges isn’t someone the team should consider a keeper. Yes, the team’s win-loss record isn’t pretty, but Charlotte as a whole isn’t on pace to set any NBA records for ineptitude as Bridges is.
According to StatMuse, Bridges is averaging a plus/minus ratio of -10 per game this season. There isn’t another player in the 21st century that has reached that mark and would be the lowest in that time frame.
There have been some bad teams over the 21st century in the NBA, leading to some ugly plus/minus numbers. But, Bridges takes the cake, as he is impacting winning the least of any player.
The Hornets were willing to give Bridges a second chance after he sat out the entire 2022-23 season and served a suspension to start this campaign. But, the results just haven’t been there on the court, which should make the decision of whether to move on or not an easy one.
More must-reads: