Clippers Trade Miles Bridges to Hornets; Skip Bayless Rips Michael Jordan's Team
The Los Angeles Clippers added one of the most talented wing prospects available in the 2018 NBA draft to their rotation Thursday when they selected Miles Bridges from Michigan State with the 12th overall pick.
However, ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported the Clippers traded Bridges' draft rights to the Charlotte Hornets for two second-round picks. Los Angeles will receive point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander in return.
Fox Sports' Skip Bayless wasn't a fan of the move for Charlotte:
Bridges could have found himself in a similar position a year ago if he had entered the 2017 draft, but he elected to go back to Michigan State after his freshman campaign despite the chance he could have been a top-10 pick.
He responded by helping lead the Spartans to the Big Ten regular-season championship with 17.1 points and 7.0 rebounds per game behind 45.7 percent shooting from the field and 36.4 percent shooting from three-point range. The impressive production came after he averaged 16.9 points and 8.3 rebounds per game during his freshman season.
The fact the Michigan State product can extend his game beyond the arc makes him a matchup problem for opposing defenses. He can either shoot over smaller defenders or attack them in the lane but is also too quick for many big guys. His scoring prowess figures to help him challenge for playing time in his rookie season.
Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman ranked Bridges 12th on his big board following the NBA's regular season and pointed to his "explosiveness and shot-making" when praising his game.
While Wasserman noted Bridges still has to improve his ability to create his own shot off the bounce, his offensive ceiling makes him one of the more intriguing prospects in this year's draft.
Charlotte will look for him to tap into it as soon as the 2018-19 season as it attempts to make the playoffs again after missing out the last two years.
The Hornets need more playmakers to take some of the scoring pressure off Kemba Walker for extended stretches, and Bridges has the ability to find the basket in a number of ways.
It is likely asking too much of the Michigan State product to be the difference between the playoffs and another lottery pick in his rookie season, but he fits the bill as a young, talented playmaker who will help the team turn things around in the near future.
