The only restricted free agent left on the market may have a deal in place in the near future, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, who reports that the Hornets and forward Miles Bridges are “gathering traction” in their contract negotiations.
Bridges was on track to be one of the top free agents in the class of 2022, but was arrested and charged with felony domestic abuse just days before his rookie contract expired, casting doubt on his NBA future. He was accused of assaulting his then-girlfriend in front of their two children.
Bridges ultimately worked out a plea deal with prosecutors in Los Angeles County, agreeing to plead no contest to one charge of felony domestic violence while two child abuse counts were dismissed. The 24-year-old avoided jail time by accepting three years of probation. He was ordered to attend a year’s worth of domestic violence counseling sessions and parenting classes in addition to completing 100 hours of community service.
Following the resolution of his legal case, Bridges appears to have a path back to the NBA, though the league is completing its own investigation into the incident and has the power to suspend the four-year veteran. As Wojnarowski writes, Bridges can’t begin serving a possible suspension until he signs a new NBA contract, so if the Hornets intend to bring him back into the fold, they could be motivated to get something done sooner rather than later.
It’s unclear how long a suspension Bridges would be facing. Wojnarowski notes that another former Hornet, Jeffrey Taylor, was banned for 24 games in 2014 after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence assault. Bridges didn’t formally admit guilt in his case, but the allegations were considered credible and the NBA would likely face substantial pressure not to let him off lightly.
If he’s suspended for at least 20 games, Bridges would lose 1/110th of his 2022/23 salary for each game he misses, tweets ESPN’s Bobby Marks.
On the basketball court, Bridges had a breakout season in 2021/22, establishing new career highs in points (20.2), rebounds (7.0), and assists (3.8) per game while starting 80 games and averaging 35.5 minutes per night.
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