Hornets send Miles Bridges to Suns for Allen, O’Neale

Hornets trade – In a second major trade within a week, the Charlotte Hornets have dealt Miles Bridges to the Phoenix Suns, receiving Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale and draft compensation in return.

The Hornets’ rebuild didn’t pause for the weekend. It picked up right where it left off.

Charlotte sent veteran forward Miles Bridges to the Phoenix Suns. completing the organization’s second major trade in a week. according to confirmation reported earlier Sunday. Phoenix will send Grayson Allen. Royce O’Neale and a 2033 first-round pick to Charlotte for Bridges. a 2029 first-round pick and a 2027 second-round pick.

The timing matters to Charlotte, which made another significant move last Thursday, sending guards LaMelo Ball and Josh Green to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for center/forward Naz Reid. Together, the trades signal how quickly the Hornets have been reshaping their roster.

Bridges spent the first eight seasons of his NBA career in Charlotte. Last season, he averaged 17.1 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, producing the kind of output teams often try to protect when building around continuity.

Phoenix, though, is paying for that production with players whose contracts were described as favorable for trade timing. The Suns are now right at the first tax apron of $209 million, and they have a $6.1-million tax mid-level exception available as they complete the deal.

Allen, an eight-year NBA veteran, has spent the last three seasons in Phoenix. He led the NBA in 3-point shooting percentage in his first year with the Suns. This past season, Allen averaged a career-high 16.5 points per game. He is in the middle of a four-year. $70 million deal. with $18.1 million due in 2026-27 and $19.3 million due in 2027-28. which includes a player option.

O’Neale, a nine-year veteran, scored a career-best 9.8 points per game last season with the Suns. He is entering the third year of a four-year contract worth $42 million, paying him $10.8 million in 2026-27 and $11.6 million in 2027-28.

For Bridges, this trade comes with a contract clock. He is in the final year of a three-year, $75 million deal, set to make $22.8 million in 2026-27. After this upcoming season, he will be an unrestricted free agent.

The move also carries baggage. Bridges had been previously linked to the Suns in trade talks, but his off-court history has followed him. In April 2023. the NBA served him with a 30-game suspension without pay related to a domestic violence incident involving the mother of his children. He missed the entire 2022-23 season. The league also determined that 20 games of that suspension had already been served.

Then came another suspension for his on-court conduct. Bridges received a four-game suspension for his role in a massive altercation during a Feb. 9 game against the Detroit Pistons in Charlotte this past season.

In Charlotte, Bridges will be asked to deliver not only production, but also stability, after a year that included the kind of disciplinary interruptions teams can’t afford if they’re trying to rebuild.

There’s another roster thread tying the trade to Phoenix. Bridges was teammates with current Suns big Mark Williams in Charlotte. Williams has agreed to a three-year, $28-million deal after being a restricted free agent, people with knowledge of the deal have confirmed.

For the Suns. the decision looks like a calculated bet: pay for the scoring and rebounding they think Bridges can provide. while absorbing the financial pressure of being at the first tax apron of $209 million. For Charlotte. the return—Allen. O’Neale. and draft capital—comes with a fresh start. after a week that has already moved Ball. Green. and now Bridges out of the building.

Hornets Suns Miles Bridges Grayson Allen Royce O'Neale LaMelo Ball Josh Green Naz Reid NBA trade tax apron NBA contracts draft picks