Los Angeles Clippers Could Target Controversial Forward In Trade

The Los Angeles Clippers find themselves between a rock and a hard place heading into the 2024-25 NBA season.

The Clippers re-signed James Harden, but they lost Paul George to the Philadelphia 76ers in free agency. The duo of Harden and Kawhi Leonard certainly looks good on paper, but Harden is clearly declining, and Leonard’s incredibly checkered injury history is beyond concerning.

Los Angeles also has very limited scoring depth behind its two stars, which is why Bleacher Report’s Eric Pincus wouldn’t be surprised if the Clippers pursue controversial Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges.

Bridges missed the entire 2022-23 campaign due to domestic violence allegations. He did end up playing in 69 games last season, averaging 21 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.3 assists over 37.4 minutes a night on 46.2/34.9/82.5 shooting splits.

The Hornets re-signed the 26-year-old to a three-year, $75 million deal this past summer, but they could still be open to trading him for the right return.

Bridges owns career averages of 14.8 points and six boards per game while shooting 47 percent from the floor and 34.7 percent from three-point range.

How much would Miles Bridges help the Los Angeles Clippers?

The Clippers are in dire need of a tertiary scorer, but is Bridges really the answer?

Yes, Bridges has logged over 20 points per game in each of his last two seasons, but he has not exactly been efficient in doing so, particularly this past year when he posted a true-shooting percentage of 55.6 percent. He also recorded just .040 win shares per 48 minutes.

Of course, there is also Bridges’ background to worry about, so if the Clippers are going to acquire him, they better make sure it is worth their while.

Los Angeles hardly even resembles a contender at the moment, especially not in a Western Conference that includes the Dallas Mavericks, Oklahoma City Thunder, Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets.

Would Bridges really vault the Clippers into contention? Probably not.

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