Soon enough, NBA teams won’t be able to make trades for the rest of the 2023-24 season. The trade deadline is quickly approaching. For teams around the league, this is a key inflection point in the season.
Contending teams will strive to make win-now moves. Rebuilding teams may move their best players. Yet, some teams land somewhere between those two extremes. They could justify heading in either direction.
Take the Utah Jazz. Recently, they’ve looked like a strong playoff team. At the same time, the Jazz are well outside of the title picture. If they made a win-now push, they’d want to bring in a player on the younger side. How about Miles Bridges of the Charlotte Hornets?
NBA Trade Proposal
Charlotte Hornets Receive: G/F Talen Horton-Tucker
Utah Jazz Receive: F Miles Bridges
The Jazz are in a unique position. In theory, they should be near the bottom of the standings. The Jazz made moves to rebuild last summer. They traded Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert.
Typically, a team that trades their two best players expects to rebuild. That was likely the plan in Utah. With a historic 2023 draft on the horizon, they seemed like a candidate to tank for Victor Wembanyama. In all likelihood, they weren’t expecting a breakout from Lauri Markkanen.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Miles Bridges, Charlotte Hornets, Utah Jazz Updates
On the other hand, the Hornets came extremely close to landing Wembanyama. In the end, they’d select Brandon Miller with the second overall pick. So far, he’s earned the team’s trust. Should they move Bridges now?
Why The Charlotte Hornets Do The Deal
At this rate, the Hornets could land the second pick in the 2024 draft as well. This team is heading for the lottery – again. Meanwhile, this team has been mired by controversy for some time.
Perhaps the Hornets need a culture reset. If so, trading Bridges makes enough sense. He was the focal point of an ugly legal battle last summer. If the Hornets see Miller and LaMelo Ball as the future of their franchise, they may opt to move on without Bridges.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Miles Bridges, Charlotte Hornets, Utah Jazz Updates
If so, taking a flyer on Horton-Tucker makes sense. He’s younger than Bridges. While Horton-Tucker hasn’t taken a star turn yet, he’s still intriguing with a unique wing span and solid ball-handling ability. Should the Jazz cut ties with him?
Why The Utah Jazz Do The Deal
Bridges may be a problematic person. He’s still a good ball player. He’s the best player in this deal. If not for his off-court issues, he wouldn’t be available at this price.
Granted, he’s on an expiring contract. So is Horton-Tucker. The Jazz are swapping a flight risk for another flight risk here. In doing so, they should become a better team.
NBA NEWS & TRADE RUMORS: Miles Bridges, Charlotte Hornets, Utah Jazz Updates
After all, in basketball terms, Bridges is someone worth keeping around. He can create baskets for himself in half-court sets, and he’s a terror in transition. If this deal is on the table, the Jazz may want to make it – before it’s too late.
