With seven wins in a row, the Suns have the best streak in the league currently. The “Big Three” can finally show up and shine. However, the leaders of the Phoenix franchise do not rule out the idea of improving their workforce, in particular by monitoring Miles Bridges.
Our colleagues from The Arizona Republic explain that the Suns have around ten players on their radar, including the Hornets winger. The latter, we remember, started his season after everyone else, serving his ten-game suspension for domestic violence. Since then, he has averaged 20.8 points and 7.1 rebounds.
How can the Suns convince the Hornets, who seem ready to let him go? Already because the winger is at the end of his contract and, given his legal history, with a next hearing in February, it is not certain that the Charlotte franchise will bet on him in the future. Trading him now could therefore ensure that he is not lost without compensation this summer.
Short term for Phoenix
Which could suit the Suns, who don't have much to offer. Charlotte would like to obtain Draft rounds against Miles Bridges, but to recover Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, the Suns gave up first rounds. They mainly have linebackers, which does not interest the Hornets at the moment.
But if no one raises the stakes between now and February 8 and the transfer deadline, then the latter may be less greedy and could accept the second rounds of the Suns. Miles Bridges would benefit by being able to finish the season in a team much more competitive and ambitious than the Hornets (10 victories in 42 matches).
However, the rest of his career will probably not be written in Phoenix since the Suns will not be able to offer him a big contract. They are already in the red with the contracts of Durant, Beal and Devin Booker ($150 million for next season). They will also not be able to sign him in the form of a “sign-and-trade” with the Hornets this summer, again because of their excessive payroll (21 million above the “luxury tax”).
To get a big check, the 25-year-old will have to target franchises that have a lot of dollars to spend, like Utah or Detroit.
Luxury tax : in the NBA, the salary cap is not strict, and the NBA authorizes the richest franchises to exceed the threshold set with a margin of tolerance of around 20%. In this case, next year, franchises could normally have spent up to $124 million. Then, for each dollar spent above this ceiling, franchises must pay the “luxury tax” to the NBA. A kind of tax that can be very expensive, and candidates for the title generally pay tens of millions of dollars each year. A sum then returned to the franchises, good students, who have not paid the “luxury tax”.
| Miles Bridges | Percentage | Rebounds | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | L.F. | Off | Def | Early | Pd | Party | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2018-19 | CHA | 80 | 21 | 46.4 | 32.5 | 75.3 | 0.8 | 3.2 | 4.0 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 7.5 |
| 2019-20 | CHA | 65 | 31 | 42.4 | 33.0 | 80.9 | 1.4 | 4.2 | 5.6 | 1.8 | 2.0 | 0.6 | 1.5 | 0.7 | 13.0 |
| 2020-21 | CHA | 66 | 29 | 50.3 | 40.0 | 86.7 | 1.2 | 4.8 | 6.0 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 0.7 | 1.6 | 0.8 | 12.7 |
| 2021-22 | CHA | 80 | 36 | 49.1 | 33.1 | 80.2 | 1.1 | 5.9 | 7.0 | 3.8 | 2.4 | 0.9 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 20.2 |
| 2023-24 | CHA | 31 | 37 | 45.5 | 35.5 | 86.6 | 0.8 | 6.4 | 7.1 | 2.9 | 2.0 | 1.1 | 2.0 | 0.5 | 20.8 |
| Total | 322 | 30 | 47.0 | 34.7 | 81.6 | 1.1 | 4.7 | 5.8 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 0.8 | 1.4 | 0.7 | 14.1 | |
How to read the stats? MJ = matches played; Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; Off = offensive rebound; Def=defensive rebound; Tot = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; Pts = Points.
