Hornets send Miles Bridges to Phoenix Suns as offseason shakeup continues, AP source says
A person familiar with the situation says the Charlotte Hornets are trading forward Miles Bridges, a 2029 first-round draft pick and a 2027 second-round pick to the Phoenix Suns for guard Grayson Allen, forward Royce O’Neale and a 2033 first-round pick
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Charlotte Hornets are continuing their offseason overhaul.
The Hornets have agreed to trade forward Miles Bridges, a 2029 first-round draft pick and a 2027 second-round pick to the Phoenix Suns for guard Grayson Allen, forward Royce O’Neale and a 2033 first-round pick, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Sunday because the trade, which was first reported by ESPN, still needs to be approved by the league.
The trade comes on the heels of the Hornets sending star point guard LaMelo Ball to Minnesota as part of a deal that brought them Naz Reid, draft picks and pick swaps.
That appears to have set off a major restructuring in Charlotte just months after the team improved its win total by 24 games from last season under second-year head coach Charles Lee.
The Hornets lost in the play-in game to Orlando.
The 6-foot-7 Bridges, 28, was the longest-tenured player on the Hornets roster, joining the team as a first-round draft pick in 2018 out of Michigan State.
In seven seasons, he averaged 15.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game while shooting 46.1% from the field and 33.8% from 3-point range. His best season came in 2023-24 when he averaged 21 points and 7.3 rebounds while shooting 34.9% from beyond the arc.
He sat out the 2022-23 season following accusations of domestic abuse.
Bridges was arrested in June 2022 on the eve of free agency on charges including felony child abuse and injuring a child’s parent. The NBA forced him to to sit out while his legal case was pending. He ultimately pleaded no contest to a felony domestic violence charge in November 2022.
Bridges was suspended for 30 games in April 2023 by the league but received a 20-game credit because he missed the entire 2022-23 season.
Charlotte never made the playoffs with Bridges' tenure with the team.
The trade opens the door for Reid, one of the league's top reserves, to potentially start at power forward.
The 6-foot-3 Allen grew into a solid scorer in his three seasons with the Suns, averaging a career-high 16.5 points and 3.8 assists per game, though injuries limited him to just 51 games.
He's the third former Duke player to join the Hornets roster.
The 30-year-old is considered an elite 3-point shooter, though his accuracy dipped to 34.9% from long range last season.
O’Neale, 33, is a versatile veteran entering his 10th NBA season. The 6-foot-6 forward spent the past 2 1/2 seasons with the Suns and averaged a career-high 9.8 points per game last season while shooting nearly 41% from beyond the arc.
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AP Sports Writer David Brandt in Phoenix contributed to this report.
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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba
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