The Charlotte Hornets have put themselves in a strong position for a play-in spot after recording five victories in a row.
Hornets forward Miles Bridges has been a huge factor in the Hornets’ upturn in fortune, and many teams are sniffing around the prospect of acquiring him.
Hornets Have Been in Talks With the Bucks for NBA Champion Forward
Clutch Points’ Brett Siegel wrote, “Bridges has drawn a fair amount of interest around the league in what has become a very minimal forward market.”
Bridges has played 48 games this season, averaging 18.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 3.6 assists. He’s registered 20 pieces in two of the last five games.
With talk of Bridges moving on from the Hornets, Siegel has revealed that Charlotte and the Milwaukee Bucks are discussing one of their experienced forwards.
“The Bucks have held discussions with the Charlotte Hornets regarding Bobby Portis, sources said.”
“The Hornets do hold a level of interest in Portis as an experienced frontcourt piece, yet nothing has really materialized there. Charlotte would need more value than just Portis to move on from Bridges.”
When you break down the numbers, it’s obvious to see why the Hornets would want more than just Portis in a trade for Bridges.
This season, Portis has averaged 13.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.7 assists, playing most of his minutes as a reserve rather than a starter, which the Hornets crave.
In June 2025, Portis signed a three-year, $43,564,242 contract with the Bucks, earning a base salary of $13,445,754 this season.
As for Bridges, he signed a three-year, $75,000,000 deal with the Hornets in July 2024, earning $25,000,000 this season.
Kyle Kuzma looked more like a like-for-like swap for Bridges, but the Hornets have no interest in bringing Kuzma to North Carolina.
What could a potential trade look like? For finances to work out, the Hornets could take Portis, Taurean Price, and a potential 2030 or 2031 draft pick.
The trade would give the Hornets more depth at forward and the possibility of finding another diamond like Kon Knueppel or LaMelo Ball in a future draft.
However, things haven’t been good for the Hornets in a long time, and with everyone healthy, the team looks destined to at least make the play-in tournament.
The creativity of Ball, the shooting abilities of Brandon Miller and Knueppel, and the X-factor at the rim from Bridges have made Charlotte a feared team to play in the league.
Portis would bring experience to a young Hornets roster, but with the way the team is playing, should Charlotte look to hold on to Bridges?
