Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges is reportedly on the trade block this summer, but the Golden State Warriors should be avoiding the 28-year-old thanks to some similarities with a former player they mistakenly acquired.
Does a 6'7" left-handed, score-first, shaky-shooting, athletic wing/forward type remind you of anyone? Kelly Oubre Jr. perhaps who ironically was a former teammate of Bridges' at the Hornets.
Miles Bridges should remind Warriors of their Kelly Oubre Jr. mistake
Bridges has been a productive player over recent years, averaging 17.1 points this past season and over 20 points in each of the previous three campaigns. However, that's not enough to solidify himself as a long-term part of Charlotte's core, with NBA insider Jake Fischer of the Stein Line reporting on his trade candidacy on Tuesday.
"Charlotte is expected to make Miles Bridges available in trade talks in conjunction with the upcoming draft, league sources say, after essentially doing so at the February trade deadline," Fischer wrote. "It has been suggested that Bridges could have a broader trade market now than he did then because he is on an expiring contract for 2026-27 at a salary that has descended to $22.8 million from its $27.2 million peak in 2024-25."
Bridges may have a healthy market, yet the Warriors should be avoiding him despite their obvious need for size, athleticism and scoring in the frontcourt. Bridges' impact on winning has always been a question mark, emphasized by holding the current record for most games without a playoff appearance of any active player.
The similarities between Bridges and Oubre are fairly uncanny, both in playstyle and success given the latter has only been part of two winning playoff series' in his 11-year career. Bridges is a far better passer to be fair in averaging over twice the number of assists than Oubre in their respective careers, but that's not enough to suggest Golden State should be interested.
Kelly Oubre's time with the Warriors failed to reach any great heights
Oubre did put up numbers in his lone year with the Warriors during the 2020-21 season, but he shot less than 44% from the floor, only 31.6% from 3-point range, and his tricky fit in Steve Kerr's system was plain for all to see and emphasized by holding the worst cumulative plus-minus on the team.
At least Golden State could hold onto the fact they didn't give up much in the Oubre trade, albeit it cost them an enormous amount (over $80 million) in luxury tax. In the case of Bridges, they'd have to give up a meaningful player/s just to match salaries, and that's even before considering what Charlotte may want.
If the Warriors truly haven't learnt their lesson and actually hold some interest in Bridges, then his past off-court indiscretions and the fact the Hornets are willing to move on from him are other clear reasons to walk away.
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