Hornets reveal Ball trade made Bridges deal likely

Bridges followed Ball out three days later

Wire Report IntelligenceUpdated Aug 211 min read

What happened: An executive said, "If we trade LaMelo, we're probably trading Miles," during the club's internal deliberations. Ball was dealt June 25, and the Bridges agreement followed June 28.

Why it matters: The sequence shows Charlotte treated the first move as the trigger for a broader roster overhaul. The two trades removed longtime starters ahead of the 2026-27 season.

By the numbers: Ball played 72 games in 2025-26, averaging 20.1 points, 7.1 assists and 4.8 rebounds. Charlotte won 44 games before exiting in the play-in tournament.

What to watch: Charlotte's revamped rotation will show how the linked decisions translate to the 2026-27 season.

Sources

streamable.com 2026-08-21T14:43:43.671549+00:00

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