Bold details from Miles Bridges, Hornets contract talks

Not many positive things have happened for the Charlotte Hornets in recent months. Since being eliminated from the NBA Play-In Tournament by the Atlanta Hawks, things have gone south fast.

Despite an increase of 10 wins from the previous season, the Hornets fired head coach James Borrego. Charlotte selected Kenny Atkinson as his replacement, but less than a week after agreeing to the deal, Atkinson decided against it and backed out.

That was just the beginning of the tumultuous off-season, as the Hornets had several players arrested. While Montrezl Harrell and James Bouknight have been able to continue their careers despite run-ins with the law, the same cannot be said of Miles Bridges.

Bridges was arrested and charged with misdemeanor domestic violence and off-season child abuse, jeopardizing his NBA career. Without formally admitting guilt at trial, Bridges accepted the sentence imposed on him and the conviction.

He will receive three years probation and must complete 52 weeks of domestic violence counseling and parenting classes, in addition to 100 hours of community service.

LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Miles Bridges & Charlotte Hornets Updates

Not having to serve a prison sentence is certainly a positive result for Bridges, who could now be close to a return to the Hornets. According to ESPN’s Adrian WojnarowskiBridges and the team are gaining traction in talks of a new deal and something could be finalized in the near future.

There is an incentive to get a deal done as Bridges will most likely face league discipline as well. The sooner the two sides agree on a deal, the sooner the league’s penalty will be meted out and he can start serving whatever he faces.

As Wojnarowski noted, former Charlotte player Jeff Taylor was suspended for 24 games in 2014 after pleading guilty to a domestic violence charge. Unfortunately, every situation is different. The league does not have a baseline for suspensions for certain infractions like other leagues and handles everything on an individual basis.

LATEST NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Miles Bridges & Charlotte Hornets Updates

Getting Bridges, who had a career season during the 2021-2022 season, would be a huge boost to the Hornets’ lineup.

Seemingly decided to enter the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes this season, adding Bridges would likely move them to the back of that row as it was clear from his presence last season that Charlotte is a fringe playoff team with him in the mix.