The Hornets address the real reason behind trading away both LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
In the 2026 offseason, the Charlotte Hornets made some massive moves by trading away their longest-tenured players, LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges. This surprised a lot of fans because the team had a bright second half of the 2025-26 season. However, it seems the Hornets were intent on making ambitious moves.
Trading away Ball and Bridges means they are now pivoting towards a new foundation with Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel. The Hornets knew that there were two contrasting groups, so they have now focused on building around the newer players.
With the trades, Ball is now playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Bridges is now on the Phoenix Suns. Those are strong moves for both players, as they land on decent teams that just reached the Playoffs in the previous campaign.
The Hornets are now focusing on a more sustainable team built around their young players. They did attempt to build around Ball and Bridges for a while, but it did not pan out, and the 2025-26 season seems to have been the final straw that broke the camel's back.
#moves
In the 2026 offseason, the Charlotte Hornets made some massive moves by trading away their longest-tenured players, LaMelo Ball and Miles Bridges. This surprised a lot of fans because the team had a bright second half of the 2025-26 season. However, it seems the Hornets were intent on making ambitious moves.
Trading away Ball and Bridges means they are now pivoting towards a new foundation with Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel. The Hornets knew that there were two contrasting groups, so they have now focused on building around the newer players.
With the trades, Ball is now playing for the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Bridges is now on the Phoenix Suns. Those are strong moves for both players, as they land on decent teams that just reached the Playoffs in the previous campaign.
The Hornets are now focusing on a more sustainable team built around their young players. They did attempt to build around Ball and Bridges for a while, but it did not pan out, and the 2025-26 season seems to have been the final straw that broke the camel's back.
#moves
3 months ago
