The Hornets have completed another franchise-altering move, trading forward Miles Bridges just days after stunning the NBA by sending franchise point guard LaMelo Ball to the Timberwolves.
According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, Bridges was dealt to the Suns along with a 2029 first-round pick and a 2027 second-rounder for veteran shooters Grayson Allen and Royce O’Neale, along with an unprotected 2033 first-round pick.
The trade marks the end of an era for the Hornets, who have now moved on from the two players that defined the franchise for much of the past six seasons, for better or worse.
Ball, along with Josh Green, was traded to Minnesota earlier this week in one of the offseason’s biggest surprises as Charlotte received Naz Reid, an unprotected 2033 first-round pick, three future first-round pick swaps in 2028, 2029 and 2030 and three second-round picks.
Now, Bridges — his longtime running mate — has followed him out the door and into the Western Conference.
Charlotte appears intent on reshaping their image.
Jeff Peterson, formerly the assistant general manager of the Nets, and head coach Charles Lee, a championship-winning assistant with the Celtics and Bucks, will look to ensure that the team moves forward with a different identity.
The Hornets have been built around the Ball-Bridges duo since they drafted the former at No. 3 overall in 2020, but the organization still hasn’t seen playoff basketball since 2016.
Still, these big moves are not without controversy, considering that the Hornets were No. 1 in net rating in the calendar year of 2026 and ended the season on a 28-10 run, giving them 44 wins — their most since 2015-16 — and their third play-in trip since 2021.
The team did fall short of the playoffs after being blitzed by the Magic in their play-in game this past April.
The decision to move Bridges now is especially notable considering the productive season he put together and the fact that he has one year left on his contract worth over $22.7 million.
The athletic forward remained one of Charlotte’s primary scoring options while also contributing as a rebounder and secondary playmaker, though he was clearly the team’s fourth preferred option offensively behind Ball, Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel.
He was also out of the league during the 2022-23 season, stemming from a domestic violence incident, for which he was suspended 30 games.
For Phoenix, the acquisition represents an aggressive attempt to strengthen its frontcourt with a player capable of scoring at all three levels while defending multiple positions, in theory.
The Suns also gain a player entering the final year of his contract, providing cap flexibility.
For Charlotte, however, the message is clear. This, even from last season, is a new era of Hornets basketball.
Trading Ball alone would have signaled a dramatic philosophical shift.
Following it by moving Bridges confirms the franchise is fully committed to building around a new core centered on Miller and Knueppel, in particular.
The Hornets also maintain the second-most tradeable first-round picks, and because Miller — for one more season — and Knupeppel, for three more years, are on their rookie scale contracts, it might not be long before the Hornets pursue a third star to pair with the dynamic duo.
