NBA Rumors: Miles Bridges may have chosen his new team, but there's a catch

Miles Bridges is coming off the best season of his young career. He averaged career-highs in nearly every box, helped the Charlotte Hornets make a playoff push, and showed great chemistry with budding star LaMelo Ball.

But as good as he’s been, reports state that the Hornets are hesitant about offering him the max contract he’s asking for. He also turned down a four-year, $60 million offer from the last fall and bet on himself last season.

Bridges is a Flint, Michigan native. He thrived at Michigan State and is a local fan favorite in Detroit. He recently wiped off the Hornets from his social media accounts, and his latest activity made people wonder whether he’s flirting with the DetroitPistons fanbase.

NBA Rumors: Miles Bridges Could Sign With The Detroit Pistons

“The Pistons and Pacers, sources said, have designs on chasing players on the restricted free-agent market and have been the lone teams linked as potential threats to sign talented forward Miles Bridges from the Charlotte Hornets. Hornets Want To Bring Bridges Back, Says GM,” reported Jake Fischer of Bleacher Report.

Hornes Want To Bring Bridges Back, Says GM

However, one can’t ignore the fact that Bridges is an restricted free agent, so the Hornets could eventually match any offer for him. It is not that they don’t see him as a max-contract player but that they would rather the market dictate how much he should get paid:

“As an organization, we love Miles,” Hornets GM Mitch Kupchak said, per CBS Sports. “We’re going to bring him back. He’s been great for the franchise, and I believe with his work ethic he’s only going to get better.”

All things considered, the Hornets would be wise to hold on to their leading scorer, even if their salary cap situation is complicated. But even if they don’t keep him, a sign-and-trade seems like the most likely scenario here.