There are a bunch of ways that Jeff Peterson can improve this Charlotte Hornets roster this summer, and the one that most folks always circle back to, at least as far as the starting lineup is concerned, is by trading Miles Bridges.
I get it. And to be totally honest, it makes a ton of sense.
Of the five starters, he is the one the Hornets would probably be open to moving if the right deal came along. After the season they just had, none of LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, and Moussa Diabaté — yes, I’m including him too — are going anywhere.
Of the tradable assets Charlotte has, Bridges arguably has the most value, first-round draft picks aside. He’s proven, consistent, stays on the floor, is on an expiring deal, and his $22.8M cap hit can help facilitate a trade.
But that doesn’t guarantee that the Hornets are going to move him.
Run it back one more year?
At this point, you probably get a little sick to your stomach when Jeff Peterson says something like, “We’re not skipping steps.” He is not budging from his plan, and that could very well mean “running it back” for one more year before pushing his chips to the center of the table, making a big splash to truly open this team’s championship-contending window.
Don’t panic, though. That doesn’t mean Peterson will neglect the roster entirely and just add through the draft this summer. They will make tweaks to this group via all routes — trade, free agency, draft, etc. But with how well the starting lineup performed, there may be something inside Peterson’s mind that is telling him to see how it plays out.
Does Diabaté take another step and develop into a top 10 center? How does the trio of Ball-Miller-Knueppel elevate their respective games now that they have a full season of playing with one another under their belt? And then Miles…it took him a while to settle in and realize what his new role would be, but once he did, he was playing a strong brand of basketball.
Why mess with a starting lineup that was historically good when it could potentially be even better in 2026-27? You may already have the recipe; you just need to have the patience for it to cook.
Plus, when it comes to the Hornets’ offensive approach, Charles Lee needs a four who can knock down shots from deep. But to have that AND be athletic enough to run the floor and attack the rim with vengeance…there’s not a whole lot of guys in the league who have that skill set.
One more year to evaluate this lineup and Bridges’ fit may be the best approach for Charlotte.
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