Two weeks ago, as NBA teams ramped up their draft preparation efforts — scheduling workouts, finalizing big boards and, more importantly, gathering intel on potential trades — one Eastern Conference name, sources say, continued to permeate conversations.
It wasn't Giannis Antetokounmpo. And it wasn't Jaylen Brown.
It was Hornets forward Miles Bridges.
At a glance, Charlotte actively shopping Bridges made sense. A team quietly being reshaped around a young head coach and an even younger core suddenly had a 28-year-old entering the final year of his contract (Bridges will make an estimated $22.8 million in 2026-27). The sharp decline in his two-way impact — Bridges finished the 2024-25 season in the 91st percentile of efficiency differential, but fell to just the 23rd this past season — compared to the second-half surge from the rest of the team making him available also tracked in some circles. The Hornets' hopes of adding a quality big to the roster, dangling Bridges in talks, checked out as well. But the more Bridges' name was discussed in hypotheticals, the more the conversation shifted in another direction.
Enter LaMelo Ball.