Charlotte may not be willing to pay Bridges the big bucks.
According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Miles Bridges is expected to command a near-max salary this summer, and there is some hesitancy on the side of the Charlotte Hornets as to whether or not they want to match it.
RE: Miles Bridges, “There’s some hesitancy in Charlotte to match a max sheet.”
I’ve always thought $25-27 million seemed fair for Miles Bridges, but this was the risk the FO took when they didn’t get an extension done prior to the start of last season. pic.twitter.com/RXejPIkNIK
— Richie (@richierandall) June 20, 2022
Bridges will be a restricted free agent this offseason, meaning Charlotte will have the ability to match any deal that he gets. A max contract would see Bridges earn more than $30 million per year. That would make him the second player on the roster making that amount of money, with LaMelo Ball likely to follow in the coming years.
The Hornets and Bridges couldn’t come to an agreement on an extension last offseason. Bridges’ camp reportedly declined a four-year, $60 million extension, and it seems as though that decision paid off in a big way, as the forward is set to make around double that thanks to a breakout season.
In 80 games played, Bridges averaged 20.2 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 3.8 assists on 49.1% shooting from the field and 33.1% shooting from behind the three-point line. He was an early candidate for the Most Improved Player award and received All-Star consideration as well.
At 24 years old, plenty of teams around the league should be interested in signing him to a long-term deal. Teams that stand out as immediate threats to Charlotte include the Detroit Pistons, Portland Trail Blazers, and Indiana Pacers.