Hornets in danger of losing Miles Bridges?

Mar 23, 2022; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges (0) looks on in a time out during the first half against the New York Knicks at the Spectrum Center. Mandatory Credit: Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY Sports

Miles Bridges is coming off his best season yet with the Charlotte Hornets, but he may have priced himself out of the team’s plans as a result.

Bridges will be a restricted free agent this summer, and the Hornets may be reluctant to pay market value for him. Some executives believe Bridges may receive a max or near-max offer, and that the Hornets may not be willing to match that sort of commitment, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Bridges appears likely to be paid handsomely, and it is easy to understand why. He is a two-way wing coming off a breakout season that saw him average 20.2 points and 7 rebounds per game. He just turned 24 in March, and has the potential to get even better. From that standpoint, the idea of a max offer makes sense, even if his social media activity prompted some questions recently.

The Hornets have to keep an eye on their long-term spending, which may make retaining Bridges difficult. The team has committed upwards of $50 million in cap space to Gordon Hayward and Terry Rozier in each of the next two seasons. At that point, LaMelo Ball will become eligible for restricted free agency, and is easily going to be a max player if he continues on his current trajectory. That may be part of why Charlotte is reluctant to commit to Bridges.