The Charlotte Hornets are looking to explore the trade market for a prolific $75 million star in time for this season’s Feb. 5 deadline, according to a new report.

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Per Evan Sidery of Forbes, Charlotte is looking to offload the 6-foot-7 Michigan State product this year. The Hornets apparently already tried to flip Bridges last season, too.

Bridges is in the second season of a declining three-year, $75 million deal he inked as an unrestricted free agent during the summer of 2024. The 27-year-old is earning $25 million this season, and will make a fairly reasonable $22.8 million in 2026-27.

Across 23 healthy contests in 2025-26, Bridges has been averaging 20.8 points on .421/.318/.862 shooting splits, 6.2 boards, 3.4 dimes, 0.6 swipes and 0.6 blocks per bout for the 7-16 Hornets.

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His checkered off-court life has made him somewhat radioactive around the NBA. On the floor, he’s an athletic, talented scorer, but has never been part of a playoff team and has been fitfully effective as a jump shooter from beyond the 3-point arc and defender.

Charlotte has had an underwhelming run in 2025-26, thanks in part to the fitful availability of LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller.

But the team also seems to be moving beyond Bridges long-term, thanks to the emergence of rookie forward Kon Knueppel. The 6-foot-6 swingman out of Duke has been averaging 18.2 points while slashing .462/.414/.906 shooting splits, and is looking like an early Rookie of the Year favorite. Miller is younger and may still have a higher ceiling than Bridges, while also being cost-controlled while still on his rookie-scale salary, so it makes sense that the Hornets would prioritize ditching Bridges over Miller.

The Hornets also selected Knueppel’s former Blue Devils teammate, shooting guard Sion James, with the No. 33 pick in the second round of the draft. Center Ryan Kalkbrenner, the No. 34 pick out of Creighton, is now starting and also looks like a major keeper.

These younger pieces are clearly the priority for Charlotte. Bridges, in theory, could hold appeal — strictly from a basketball sense — for a team seeking a big scoring forward. The Hornets no doubt will hope to extract a first-round pick for his services. Time will tell if they can.

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