Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges implied that the Cleveland Cavaliers expressed interest in obtaining him when he was an unrestricted free agent in the summer. He mentioned the Los Angeles Clippers as another team that allegedly had him on its radar.
“Yeah, the Clippers are a great organization,” Bridges said. “They wanted me, the Cavaliers wanted me. But at the same time I was just trying to see what was the best fit for me, and what would make me and my family happy.”
Bridges ended up re-signing with the Hornets on a three-year, $75 million deal in July. He has spent the entirety of his NBA career in Charlotte, and the 26-year-old has evolved into one of the better scorers at his position in the league.
The former Michigan State University standout averaged 21.0 points per game on 46.2 percent shooting from the field and 34.9 percent from 3-point range across 69 games played and 67 starts in the 2023-24 regular season. LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier were the only two Hornets to average more points per contest, and the latter wasn’t even a member of Charlotte for the full season. Rozier was dealt to the Miami Heat prior to the trade deadline.
It’s worth noting that Bridges did not play a single game for the Hornets during the 2022-23 campaign, but he didn’t show any rust after such a prolonged absence from the team.
If Bridges ended up signing with the Cavaliers instead of the Hornets, he ostensibly would have had a great chance to earn the starting small forward spot. Max Strus was Cleveland’s starting small forward for much of last season, and though he’s the superior 3-point shooter of the two, Bridges has a more well-rounded offensive game.
While there’s a lot to like about Bridges from a talent standpoint, he has faced legal trouble in the past. Last year, he was charged with violating a protection order, misdemeanor child abuse along with injury to personal property, though all three of those charges were eventually dropped due to a lack of evidence.
It’s understandable if some fans of the Cavaliers may be disappointed to hear that the team was interested in Bridges but ultimately didn’t acquire him. Hopefully, Bridges has learned from his past run-ins with law enforcement and will be on his best behavior moving forward with the Hornets.
