The Cavs can find a better way to go about filling their void on the wing.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are looking to acquire a big wing. This includes the possibility of moving restricted free agent Isaac Okoro to do so. One of the players that they could target in a sign-and-trade is unrestricted free agent Miles Bridges.
According to Marc Stein, Bridges is someone the Cavs could potentially be interested in.
It is not yet clear how serious the interest is, but league sources describe Cleveland as a team to watch in potential sign-and-trade scenario for Miles Bridges.
New Hornets executive vice president of basketball operations Jeff Peterson has said publicly that Charlotte hopes to retain Bridges, but Bridges is known to be interested in sign-and-trade options. Also: Charlotte has since agreed to trade for Dallas swingman Josh Green in the three-team collaboration via sign-and-trade that will soon land Golden State’s Klay Thompson in Dallas.
The Los Angeles Times reported this week that the LA Clippers have also expressed some sign-and-trade interest in Bridges.
Bridges theoretically fits what the Cavs need on the court. A 6’7” wing who can comfortably switch between the three and four is what this team has been seeking for quite some time.
Bridges averaged 21 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 3.3 assists for the Charlotte Hornets last season on .462/.349/.825 shooting splits. Bridges has gotten the reputation of being a three-and-D wing, although the three-point shot isn’t something that has consistently been in his arsenal. He has shot under league average from distance in four of his five seasons. The 2021-22 campaign where he converted 40% of his triples was the exception.
The major concern for adding Bridges comes off the court. Bridges didn’t play the 2022-23 season due to being arrested for multiple domestic violence charges which included a felony charge of domestic violence and child abuse. He was sentenced to three years of probation and no jail time after pleading no contest to the felony charge.
Bridges’s wife at the time of the incident alleged that she suffered a fractured nose and wrist, a torn eardrum, an injured neck, a concussion, and was choked. His now ex-wife has come out since defending Bridges saying, “He’s not a woman beater.”
With Ace laying under one arm & Aylä laying under my other, i write this… pic.twitter.com/3Gdk3r9rPu
— Chelley (@MychelleJohnson) June 15, 2023
This pattern is unfortunately not uncommon in domestic violence incidents. The relationship between the victims and the abuser makes prosecuting cases very difficult and can often leave the victim feeling as if they’re the ones at fault.
Bridges was suspended by the NBA for 30 games. This was reduced to 10 games before the 2023-24 season. The reasoning behind this was that he was “given credit for 20 games time served after sitting out all 82 games last season.” The suspension was served at the start of last season.
Sports are easier when things are black and white and there’s nothing in the way of cheering for your favorite team. Adding a player who has been convicted of an awful crime makes it impossible to view things that simply. The Cavs have a difficult hole to fill on the court, but this isn’t the way to go about doing so.
