NBA Rumors: Miles Bridges 'Won't Approve Any Trades' amid Suns, Hornets Contract Buzz | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors
Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges is invoking what amounts to his no-trade clause, according to ESPN's Brian Windhorst.
Windhorst reported the 25-year-old "has decided he won't approve any trades" ahead of Thursday's 3 p.m. ET deadline. Because he signed the $7.9 million qualifying offer with Charlotte, he has the luxury of vetoing any trade.
NBA insider Marc Stein reported the Phoenix Suns "have been known to be chasing Bridges harder than any team in the league," with the Utah Jazz and Dallas Mavericks also in the mix.
Any one of those three would've represented a better situation than that of the Hornets, who own the third-worst record (10-40) in the Eastern Conference.
It's in Bridges' interest to some degree to stick around, though. Stein noted he'd lose his Bird rights if he gets traded, and preserving those means the Hornets can exceed the salary cap to sign him. The same can be said for another franchise in a sign-and-trade situation.
An unrestricted free agent with non-Bird rights can only get up to 120 percent more than his previous salary as well when he's signing with a team over the cap.
Based on Stein's report, the Suns knew acquiring Bridges would be tough, so they won't be completely caught off guard by his intention to remain with the Hornets.
Yahoo Sports' Jake Fischer reported Phoenix has weighed the Brooklyn Nets' Royce O'Neale and Toronto Raptors' Otto Porter Jr. as trade candidates.
O'Neale is averaging 7.4 points and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 36.6 percent from beyond the arc. According to HoopsHype's Michael Scotto, the Suns have offered forward Nassir Little and multiple second-round picks in return for the 30-year-old.
The asking price for Porter figures to be even lower considering he has logged just 15 appearances for Toronto. The 6'8" forward was an impactful role player for the Golden State Warriors in 2021-22 when they won an NBA title, but Phoenix would be taking a bit of a risk given how little he has done on the court since then.
