Charlotte Hornets: Complete 2018 offseason grades

Trading down for Miles Bridges

Kupchak was able to complete another first pretty quickly into his tenure as GM of the Hornets, selecting Shai Gilgeous-Alexander with the 11th overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft. SGA had a short-lived experience with Charlotte though, trading him to the Los Angeles Clippers for the 12th overall pick, Miles Bridges.

In trading down, the Hornets didn’t gain a whole lot, but there were still some subtle additions, gaining two more second round picks in 2020 and 2021. While they weren’t huge savings, the Hornets saved $170,000 with the contract Bridges signed by being drafted one spot later.

Miles Bridges should be an excellent fit for the Hornets coming off of two years at Michigan State, under the tutelage of one of the best coaches in college basketball, Tom Izzo. Bridges was also just one of seven players to average at least 17 points, seven rebounds and two assists per game over the last two years. Synergy Basketball gives us a deeper look at his potential:

Over the two years he was at Michigan State, Bridges shot 47.0 percent from the field, including a respectable 37.5 percent on his 3-pointers.

He didn’t thrive as well in NBA Summer League play though, shooting just 34.2 percent from the field. He still put up 15 points and 8.2 rebounds per game over his five games in Summer League play though, giving Hornets fans a nice highlight reel.

Bridges showed us his shooting range from all over the court in Las Vegas, as well as his potential passing around the basket and his shot-blocking ability. He’s currently listed as the backup small forward on the Hornets’ depth chart, but could find a niche at the 4 if the Hornets push a small lineup. We may even see him push Michael Kidd-Gilchrist for the starting small forward spot.

Grade: A-