After Offloading Mitch Kupchak, Hornets Face Tough Decision on Miles Bridges and LaMelo Ball With $676,954 Cap Room

The Charlotte Hornets were very active in the trade market ahead of the deadline. The one name that popped up often was small forward Miles Bridges, who was heavily linked for trade by the deadline. However, he did not opt to waive his no-trade clause and instead decided to stay with the team until the end of the season. On the other hand, LaMelo Ball has been quite inconsistent this season due to his injury. Under these circumstances, the Hornets are at a crossroads in determining the future of Bridges and LaMelo in the offseason.

Moreover, the Hornets went through another major change as Mitch Kupchak, the President of Basketball Operations of the team, stepped down from his position to take the role of Organizational Advisor. Amidst these significant overhauls, the franchise has to decide what to do with Bridges and LaMelo with the cap room they have.

Miles Bridges and LaMelo Ball are on the hot seat

According to ESPN’s Bobby Marks, the Hornets currently have a salary cap of $141 million. Under this salary cap, they have $676,954 wiggle room to either re-sign or sign new players. Now, Bridges will hit the free agent market in the offseason. So, the Hornets have to decide whether to keep him or let him walk. However, keeping him would probably push them to be an over-the-cap team. The million-dollar question is, “How does Miles Bridges fit into the future and the cost to retain him?”

This is a sticky situation for the team right now, but it will come down to how Bridges performs this season and if Charlotte is willing to take a bet on him. For now, the only thing we can say with certainty is that he will be in Charlotte for the remainder of this season.

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As for LaMelo, the only area of concern is his health. Due to a severe ankle injury, he has played only 58 games in the last two years. Last year, he signed a rookie extension with the team worth $250 million for five years. Plus, the Hornets have made it clear that they want to retain LaMelo to build the franchise around him. So, it is highly likely that he will stay put after the season.

What other changes did the Hornets make?

Ahead of the trade deadline, Charlotte made some major roster changes. On 23rd January, they traded Terry Rozier to the Heat for Kyle Lowry and a 2027 first-round draft pick. Then on the date of the trade deadline, they moved quickly to send off PJ Washington to the Mavericks in exchange for Grant Williams, Seth Curry, and a 2027 first-round pick.

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On the same day, the Hornets also acquired Vasilije Micic, Davis Bertans, and Tre Mann, a 2023 second-round pick, and a 2024 second-round pick from the Thunder by trading Gordon Hayward. It now looks like the team finally has the depth that they desperately need. The bottom line is that the Hornets did not stay dormant in the trade market. And for a team that is struggling, that’s a great start to a rebuild.