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Miles Bridges agreed to a contract Saturday in free agency to remain with the Charlotte Hornets, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium.
Per ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Charlotte and the Michigan State product came to terms on a three-year, $75 million deal.
Matt Moore of Action Network reported in January that Bridges was “a popular trade target” ahead of potential free agency, but he isn’t leaving the only NBA team he has ever played for in his career.
The forward signed a one-year, $7.9 million qualifying offer for the 2023-24 campaign in July 2023, and Wojnarowski reported at the time that he and the Hornets were “far apart in extension talks.”
Any move involving Bridges resonates beyond his on-court impact.
He sat out the entire 2022-23 campaign following his June 2022 arrest. In November 2022, ESPN’s Baxter Holmes reported that Bridges pleaded no contest to a felony domestic violence charge after he was “accused of assaulting his then-girlfriend in front of their two children” and initially faced three felony charges.
The agreement meant the other two felony counts were dismissed and he was sentenced to three years of probation without jail time for the third.
He was also required to serve 100 hours of community service, complete 52 weeks of domestic violence counseling, complete 52 weeks of parenting classes, pay a $500 domestic violence fine and pay a $300 restitution fine. What’s more, he was issued a 10-year protective order and told not to contact the woman or come within 100 yards of her.
The NBA suspended Bridges for 30 games without pay in April 2023, although it ruled that 20 of those games were considered served because he missed the 2022-23 season.
He missed the first 10 games of the 2023-24 campaign and made his season debut for the Hornets during a Nov. 17 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.
Charlotte wasted no time making him a major part of its rotation, and he averaged 21.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists in 37.4 minutes per game last season.
