Hornets and Suns Complete Fourth Trade Since January as Bridges Heads to Phoenix

The Charlotte Hornets and Phoenix Suns just can’t stop doing business together.

On Monday, the two teams agreed to another major swap. This time it’s Miles Bridges heading to Phoenix, along with a 2029 first-round pick and a 2027 second-rounder. The Suns are sending back Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale, and a 2033 first-round pick, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

That makes four trades between Charlotte and Phoenix since January 2025. ClutchPoints NBA reporter Brett Siegel laid them out on X: the Okogie-Richards deal, the Nurkic-Martin trade, the Mark Williams trade, and now this one. It’s pretty unusual for two franchises to keep circling back to each other like this.

For the Hornets, this is the second big goodbye in less than a week. Right before free agency opened, they traded LaMelo Ball and Josh Green to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Naz Reid, a 2033 unprotected first, three second-round picks, and pick swaps in 2028, 2029, and 2030. So basically they just waved goodbye to their two most recognizable players in a matter of days.

Charlotte actually had a decent 2025-26 season. They finished 44-38, snuck into the play-in tournament, beat the Heat in the first round, and then lost to the Magic. It wasn’t a championship run but it was progress after years of lottery misery. Now they’re tearing it down anyway.

Bridges had been the team’s leading scorer last season and a steady presence on the wing. Allen gives them a reliable shooter who can play off the ball, and O’Neale is a veteran defender who spaces the floor. The 2033 pick is far out but could be valuable depending on how the Suns age out by then.

Phoenix is clearly trying to win now. Adding Bridges gives them another athletic forward who can create his own shot and defend multiple positions. He’s a risk off the court but on the floor he fits what they want to do around Devin Booker and Kevin Durant.

The Suns are betting big. Again. They’ve traded just about every future pick they can move, and the 2033 first they gave up might be the last one they had to offer. If this core doesn’t work, there’s not much left in the cupboard.

For Charlotte, it’s a full reset. Ball is gone. Bridges is gone. The roster is young, cheap, and full of question marks. The Hornets have a pile of future picks now but no obvious star to build around. That’s either a smart retool or a slow motion tank, depending on how patient the front office is.