Miles Bridges capped a 28-point night back in April with a game-saving defensive play in what was the first postseason victory for the Charlotte Hornets since the 2016 playoffs.
Bridges denied Davion Mitchell at the rim to seal a wild 127-126 overtime home win over the Miami Heat in the play-in tournament last April.
Those numbers told half of what Bridges delivered in the comeback thriller.
“Defensively, he took on the matchup of pretty much everybody on their team,” Hornets coach Charles Lee said. “Loved how he kind of stood up, wanted to guard everybody. They got going, he was down to do it. His first point of contact, I thought there was great physicality. He embraced a 'no-paint mindset.'”
Bridges shot 5-of-10 from 3, grabbed nine rebounds and tallied three blocks.
People are also reading…
At his best, this is how the intense Bridges is as a player.
Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges (0) dunks against Miami Heat forward Andrew Wiggins (22) during the second quarter at Kaseya Center in Miami, Florida.
“His communication in the coverages and to come back in and help us rebound and then early on," Lee later said. "The offensively physicality he showed too with some of his screening, understanding where the mismatches were and taking advantage of them early in the clock really helped us."
Here’s more on who the Phoenix Suns are getting with their latest addition.
The deal
The Suns are trading Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale and a 2033 first-round pick to the Hornets for Miles Bridges, a 2029 first-round pick and a 2027 second-round pick, league sources confirmed on June 28 to the Arizona Republic.
Number change?
Bridges wore No. 0 for the Hornets.
Ryan Dunn has worn the same number in his first two seasons in Phoenix.
Hometown ties
From Flint, Michigan, Bridges was the 12th overall pick in the 2018 draft out of Michigan State.
Suns team owner Mat Ishbia was a walk-on on the Spartans' 2000 national championship team while general manager Brian Gregory was an assistant coach on that squad.
Suns head coach Jordan Ott later served as a graduate assistant at Michigan State.
Off-court, on-court issues
Bridges, 28, was involved in a domestic violence incident with the mother of his children, for which the NBA served him with a 30-game suspension without pay in April 2023. He initially was charged with three felonies related to the incident. He pleaded no contest to a felony charge of injuring a child's parent and sentenced to three years of probation and no jail time. The other two felony charges were dropped.
He missed the entire 2022-23 season. In recognition of that outcome, the NBA deemed 20 games of the suspension had already been served.
Bridges received a four-game suspension for his role in a massive on-court altercation in a Feb. 9 game this past 2025-26 season against the Detroit Pistons in Charlotte.
Bridges racked up just four technical fouls last season.
By the numbers
Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges (0) looks to pass as he's guarded by Miami Heat guard Davion Mitchell (45) during the second quarter of the play-in rounds of the 2026 NBA Playoffs at Spectrum Center April 14.
Bridges averaged 17.1 points on 46% shooting, 5.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists to 1.4 turnovers in 77 games last season. He scored a season-high 35 on Nov. 29 in a 118-111 overtime win over Toronto.
For his career, Bridges is averaging 15.9 points on 46.1% shooting, 6.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists to 1.6 turnovers. His career high is 46 points, which came in a 118-117 lost March 7 against Cleveland.
Bridges is in the final year of a three-year, $75-million deal as he's set to make $22.8 million in 2026-27. He'll be an unrestricted free agent after this upcoming season.
He's eligible for a three-year extension up to $86 million for the next six months, ESPN's Bobby Marks tweeted June 28.
Fit in Phoenix
At 6-7, 225 pounds, Bridges is physical, aggressive and athletic. His size is a more natural three, but he started at the four for the Hornets.
The Suns could easily open the regular season with a starting lineup of Devin Booker, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, 7-footer Mark Williams and Bridges. Williams and Bridges were teammates in Charlotte.
The Suns can play faster with him, be more aggressive defensively, but he’s only a 33.8% career shooter from 3.
Last season, Bridges finished fourth on the Hornets in made 3s at 148, but launched 445, showing he’s comfortable taking them.
He isn’t a monster on the offensive glass, a skill the Suns value, but is averaging 6.1 rebounds for his career. The Suns were next to last in the NBA at defensive rebounding last season.
Don't expect Arizona's Koa Peat to fade away in NBA | Greg Hansen
