Deep breathing exercises weren’t necessary. Neither was meditation.
But there’s a piece of Miles Bridges that’s extremely happy the past few weeks are finally over and the NBA trade deadline has passed, suppressing any anxiety and allowing the Charlotte Hornets forward to put the whole ordeal behind him.
“Yeah, for sure,” said Bridges, who posted 11 points and five rebounds in the Hornets’ 120-84 loss to Milwaukee at Fiserv Forum on Friday night. “This was my first year dealing with all that. Me, I’m happy so I can just focus on the season and focus on trying to get us some wins.”
They’ve been scarce lately, though. The Hornets have lost 10 consecutive games and their inability to string victories together, coupled with an inordinate amount of injuries, led to the team being broken up, with some of the highest-paid players getting sent out of town.
Gordon Hayward and PJ Washington were the latest, joining Terry Rozier on the departure train. Newcomers Grant Williams, Seth Curry, Tre Mann, Dāvis Bertāns, and Vasilije Micić are expected to make their debuts Saturday when the Hornets host Memphis, marking the first true game in Charlotte in nearly four years without Hayward or Washington on the roster.
“I’m just happy for those guys going to great situations,” Bridges said. “Gordon going to OKC, the No. 1 team in the West and PJ going to Dallas, his hometown. They’re a playoff team, so I’m happy for those guys and I wish nothing but the best for them. And I’m happy with the people we got back.
“We got great pieces. Grant Williams is a winning player, Tre Mann is a good point guard. Mikic, he played against us. I liked his game. I like Bertāns, he’s a knockdown shooter. Seth Curry is a knockdown shooter. So, we’ve got a lot of great pieces back and winning players. So, hopefully I can learn from them a little bit and keep the season going.”
Expect an educational experience for everyone over the coming weeks and months. A feeling-out process is a given because there will be a definite adjustment period. It’ll be a crash course through the All-Star break until they have some time to go over things in walkthroughs, game-day shootarounds, film sessions and light practices.
“Trying to figure out who’s where,” coach Steve Clifford said. “And it’s not only where they are at mentally. It’s where they are physically, guys that haven’t been playing a lot, where they are in terms of their conditioning, their rhythm with their games. We are going to have some guys coming in who haven’t been playing at all. So, you’ve got to do it in a way that they can play well. It’s better for them and better for the team, so all that’s part of it, too.”
At least Clifford still has Bridges around to assist with the transition and make it as easy as possible for Williams, Curry, Mann and the rest of the players embarking on a new situation. With the rumor mill churning non-stop during the days leading up to the deadline, some outsiders were convinced Bridges was on his way out of town.
But that all got cleared up early Thursday when his agent, Rich Paul, made it publicly known Bridges had zero plans of waiving his no-trade clause, exercising the power that came with his one-year, $7.9 million qualifying offer. Bridges’ play made him a hot commodity — he’s averaging 21.6 points, 7.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game — and had some taking notice.
He’s also been key in Brandon Miller’s growth of late.
“I think one thing about Miles, he brings it every night,” Miller said. “I’ve been saying he’s a dog, so a hit dog’s going to bring it every night. Same energy, intensity. I think Miles would put him in the part of being my vet, keeping my confidence high to take shots, tough shots in the fourth quarter.
“I think it’s just a confidence thing with me and Miles, and he’s definitely one of the guys that builds my confidence the most.”
Bridges will be an unrestricted free agent in July and is in line for a lucrative pay day if the current trajectory continues.
“I feel comfortable saying Miles has been with us, we drafted him and he’s certainly having a great year, getting better and better as the season goes along,” Kupchak said. “And I don’t see why we wouldn’t want him to be a part of this team for a long, long time.”
That’s music to Bridges’ ears. He’s all in on joining forces with Miller, LaMelo Ball and Mark Williams to turn this franchise around, helping pull it out of constant mediocrity and transforming it into a perennial winner.
“Yeah, like I said I would love to be here long term,” Bridges said. “I feel like if we had our full team we would have already been a playoff team and then we wouldn’t even be having these talks. So, we’ve just got to get our guys back and I’m excited to be here.”
Roderick Boone
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