Jimmy Butler's season-ending knee injury could force the Golden State Warriors to consider a host of names leading into the trade deadline, but fans should hope the latest link to Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges is nothing but just that.
Bridges is now on the radar according to a report from Sam Amick of The Athletic on Friday, yet he's not particularly a thrilling answer to Golden State's problems as they look to generate more offense in the wake of Butler's injury.
Warriors should steer clear of Miles Bridges trade
The Warriors aren't the only team to express interest in Bridges according to Amick, with the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns also linked to the 27-year-old.
“As for Hornets that might be on the move, veteran forward Miles Bridges is drawing significant interest, league sources told The Athletic. “The Milwaukee Bucks, Golden State Warriors and Phoenix Suns are all known to be among the interested parties, though it remains to be seen if any team can compel the Hornets to give Bridges up," Amick wrote.
Bridges has been a productive player since returning after sitting out the entire 2022-23 season, averaging at least 20 points in each of the past two years while putting up 18.2 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists this season.
His efficiency has been a question mark throughout his career, shooting 44.5% from the floor and 33.4% from 3-point range this season. As a result, there's still some question marks on Bridges' ability to impact winning as someone who is yet to appear in a playoff game in his career.
In fairness, the Hornets have been a mediocre team essentially ever since Bridges arrived. Can he be a strong contributor to a playoff team? We might be about to find out if a trade takes place in the next 10 days.
But what would Bridges really do for this version of the Warriors? Sure he could deliver more offense and make them a slightly better team, but without Butler this is nothing more than a first-round playoff exit at best.
Is it therefore worth trading for Bridges and his $25 million contract in a deal that would almost certainly have to include Jonathan Kuminga? Wouldn't the Warriors simply be better served keeping Kuminga, giving him a prominent role over the remainder of the season, and then re-evaluating trade opportunities in the summer.
Trading for Bridges would be the epitome of making a move simply for the sake of it, rather than notably improving the roster. Fans should hope this is just a report and nothing further, otherwise it's going to be an underwhelming deadline if Bridges is the only outcome.