There haven’t been many positive things that have happened for the Charlotte Hornets in the last few months. Since being eliminated from the NBA Play-In Tournament by the Atlanta Hawks, things have quickly gone south.
Despite having a 10-win increase from the previous season the Hornets fired head coach James Borrego. Charlotte selected Kenny Atkinson to be his replacement, but less than a week after agreeing to the deal, Atkinson decided against it and backed out.
That was only the start of the tumultuous offseason, as the Hornets had multiple 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 for Miles Bridges.
Bridges was arrested and charged with felony domestic violence and child abuse in the offseason, putting his NBA career in jeopardy. Without formally admitting guilt during the trial, Bridges accepted the punishment that was handed to him and the conviction.
He will be on probation for three years and required to 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 jail time is certainly a positive outcome for Bridges, who could now be closing in on a return to the Hornets. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Bridges and the team are gaining traction in talks on a new deal and something could be finished in the near future.
There is some incentive to get a deal done as Bridges will more than likely face discipline from the league as well. The sooner that the two sides agree to a deal, the sooner the league’s punishment will be levied and he can begin serving whatever he is faced with.
As Wojnarowski pointed out, former Charlotte player Jeff Taylor was suspended for 24 games back in 2014 after pleading guilty to a misdemeanor charge of domestic violence assault. Alas, every situation is different. The league doesn’t have a baseline for suspensions for certain infractions like other leagues do 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 2021-22 campaign, would be a huge boost to the Hornets’ lineup.
Seemingly deciding to join the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes this season, adding Bridges would likely move them to the back of that line as it was clear from his presence last season that Charlotte is a fringe playoff team with him in the mix.
