Source: Todd Kirkland / Getty
With the belief around the NBA, that Miles Bridges will be back in Charlotte for the 2023-24 season, a lot of people are starting to speculate about the possible contract Bridges will receive. Before his domestic violence issue, on the eve of free agency last summer, Bridges was in line to receive a max contract from Charlotte, after Bridges had a career year. After a year away from basketball, Bridges is still in line to get a big payday, as Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports, expects him to make around $25 million dollars, and John Hollinger of The Athletic, echoed that belief, saying he could receive a contract worth $29 million dollars annually. Is this right? Or should Bridges be paid less, after his off-the-court issue?
This exact conversation led off the start of today’s Kyle Bailey Show on WFNZ, and as Kyle stated on the air, there isn’t a right answer. Bridges experienced a career year, and almost the All-Star Game two years ago, and is a close running mate of LaMelo Ball, who will be offered a rookie max in the future. But should Bridges be allowed to rebuild his image, in the same city, playing for the same team, that he damaged it? Kyle did make the argument that if Bridges were to turn his life around and prove that he learned from his mistakes, you would prefer he does it here in the purple and teal, as opposed to playing elsewhere. But he was very observant of the fans that have threatened to quit rooting for the team if Bridges is on the roster next year.
What makes the Bridges situation even more complex, is that his actions not only affect him but what the Hornets will do in the NBA Draft week. If Charlotte were to bring Bridges back, how much harder would it be to draft Brandon Miller, who also has his own off-the-court issues? From a PR perspective, it would be a nightmare, and that’s not even counting James Bouknight, who also had his issues before the season started last season.
Miles Bridges is going to play basketball in the NBA again, that much is inevitable. But how much should he get paid, well that decision would be a lot easier if it were another team in the association making it.
Make sure to catch The Kyle Bailey Show every weekday from 3-6 PM on Sports Radio 92.7 WFNZ, and the WFNZ app.
