CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Miles Bridges is out of free agency and officially back with the Charlotte Hornets.
NBA sources confirmed to WCNC Charlotte sports director Nick Carboni the forward had agreed to the deal with the Hornets. League insider Adrian Wojnarowski reported the deal was $75 million for three years to retain the core trio of players along with LaMello Ball and Brandon Miller.
Bridges' official return to Charlotte comes after nearly two years of controversy for him regarding accusations of domestic violence. He was arrested in 2022 in Los Angeles after Mychelle Johnson - the mother of his two young children - came forward. Johnson shared photos of injuries and a medical report on Instagram at the time, and prosecutors formally filed charges soon after.
He was charged with one felony count of injuring a child's parent and two felony counts of child abuse under circumstances or conditions likely to cause great bodily injury or death since the alleged assault on Johnson happened in front of the children. Bridges pleaded not guilty, and court dates were delayed at first. Eventually, Bridges pleaded no contest to the first charge while the other two were dropped. He did not receive jail time but was handed a three-year probation sentence. Bridges was also suspended for 30 games in 2023. He missed all of 2022 while facing court.
The Hornets extended a $7.9 million qualifying offer to Bridges in June 2023 for one year. Then-team president and general manager Mitch Kupchak said at the time they took a "measured and serious approach" in making the decision, including requiring Bridges to commit to counseling and community service.
Bridges also addressed the controversy the following month, apologizing and promising to go to therapy while asking for a second chance.
However, Bridges once again faced legal action when he was accused of violating a domestic violence order in Mecklenburg County in October 2023. The criminal summons for him said he threatened Johnson during a custody exchange, throwing pool balls at her car while their children were in it. The report also said he would "take everything from her and withhold child support."
Bridges turned himself in and bonded out of jail. He appeared in court that week. Eventually, his charges in Mecklenburg County were dropped due to a lack of evidence.
However, Bridges was allowed back onto the Hornets' roster in November 2023. The team said he was eligible to return after serving his suspension to play against the Milwaukee Bucks, returning to the basketball court with a warm welcome from fans after 580 days off of it. Bridges said he was happy but also acknowledged he needed to regain trust from others, including the fans.
Bridges' legal saga did prevent him from playing against the Toronto Raptors in December 2023, as he was denied entry to Canada. The country's government said anyone with a felony conviction on their record can be deemed "criminally inadmissible to Canada."
In February 2024, Bridges said he would stay with the Hornets for the remainder of the 2023-24 season, turning down trade proposals. This allowed him to come out ahead on his next contract.
On Saturday, the Hornets also waived three players: forward David Bertans, guard Bryce McGowens, and forward Aleksej Pokusevski.