Despite the Phoenix Suns having reported extreme interest in Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges, he is reportedly staying in Charlotte, according to ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Bridges has a veto clause in his contract, meaning he can approve or reject any trade.
Now, his agent Rich Paul has reportedly told ESPN that he will be declining all trade offers. The trade deadline is at 1 p.m. MST today.
Miles Bridges has decided he won’t approve any trades and he will remain with the Charlotte Hornets the rest of the season, agent Rich Paul tells ESPN.
Bridges will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and the Hornets will retain his Bird Rights.
— Brian Windhorst (@WindhorstESPN) February 8, 2024
Bridges has scored 40-plus points in two straight contests. On the season, he is averaging 21.9 points on 46.4% shooting and 7.2 rebounds across 39 contests for the 10-40 Hornets.
Bridges signed a one-year qualifying offer with Charlotte in July worth $7.9 million, so ideally Phoenix could have gotten a 20-point-per-game, 3-and-D wing without giving up much assets.
Now, the Suns are reportedly shifting their focus to Brooklyn Nets’ forward Royce O’Neale, according to AZ Central’s Duane Rankin.
Miles Bridges staying in Charlotte, Phoenix Suns eyeing Nets wing Royce O'Neale, sources say #Suns https://t.co/JdqQw0pXeN via @azcentral pic.twitter.com/G0qapOg6BJ
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) February 8, 2024
O’Neale has familiarity playing with Kevin Durant this past season in Brooklyn. The 30-year-old veteran would bring starting experience and a 3-and-D ability to the Suns. O’Neale is averaging 7.4 points and 4.5 rebounds in 24.5 minutes per game across 49 contests for the 20-30 Nets.
O’Neale is on the last season of a four-year deal. He has a cap hit of $9.5 million this season.
The Suns have reportedly offered Nassir Little and two second round picks for O’Neale, according to Nets Daily and the NY Post.
The Phoenix Suns have proposed a trade to Brooklyn, offering Nassir Little and two second-round picks for Royce O’Neale, per @NetsDaily
(h/t @NYPost_Lewis ) pic.twitter.com/MgckcIHnlm
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) February 8, 2024
Even if the 30-21 Suns don’t end up making a move today, coach Frank Vogel is happy with what they have.
“I’ve been with teams where we felt like we definitely weren’t good enough and had to do something to get better,” Vogel said. “We do not feel that way with this group. Obviously, there’s a lot of phone calls taking place. If there’s ways to improve our team, we’ll take advantage of that.”
Frank Vogel content with what Suns have as trade deadline approaches
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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
