Sources: Hornets, Bridges talks gathering traction

The Charlotte Hornets and restricted escaped cause guardant Miles Bridges are gathering traction successful talks connected a caller deal, and optimism exists that an statement could travel successful the adjacent future, sources told ESPN connected Friday.

The sooner Bridges and the Hornets tin scope a deal, the sooner helium tin seemingly commencement serving an NBA suspension expected to beryllium handed down for his relation successful an offseason home unit case. Bridges, who had been accused of assaulting his then-girlfriend successful beforehand of their 2 children successful June 2022, pleaded nary contention to a felony charge successful November and received a condemnation of 3 years of probation and nary jailhouse time.

Bridges' lawsuit remains nether probe by the league, and it's unclear however agelong a suspension helium is facing, sources said.

Bridges and his representatives with Klutch Sports person been successful accordant interaction with the Hornets organization, and the sides are moving unneurotic connected Bridges' plans to enactment with section home unit groups and assemblage organizations to commencement reacclimating himself to the Charlotte community.

If a woody can't beryllium reached with Bridges, helium would stay a restricted escaped cause this summertime successful a marketplace that includes teams with ample salary-cap abstraction and needs to upgrade the helping presumption of their rosters.

The NBA suspended erstwhile Charlotte subordinate Jeffery Taylor for 24 games successful 2014 aft helium pleaded blameworthy to a misdemeanor complaint of home unit assault.

Bridges, 24, has been considered a cornerstone subordinate for Charlotte's franchise. He averaged 20.2 points, 7 rebounds and 3.8 assists during the 2021-22 season.

As a restricted escaped cause implicit the summer, Bridges was believed to beryllium connected the cusp of signing a $100 million-plus connection expanse that Charlotte would've apt matched to clasp him. The apprehension and charges changed that calculus, and present Bridges is moving done the details of a caller woody straight with Charlotte.

The Hornets, 8-24 this season, person struggled without Bridges, with different cardinal players missing important clip with injuries.

Bridges accepted the punishment and the condemnation without formally admitting guilt successful the case. He was arrested June 29 by Los Angeles police connected a felony home unit warrant and aboriginal released connected $130,000 bond. In July, the bureau of Los Angeles County territory lawyer George Gascon filed 3 felony home unit charges against Bridges -- who initially pleaded not guilty to each three.

During his three-year probation, Bridges volition beryllium required to implicit 52 weeks of home unit counseling and 52 weeks of parenting classes and service 100 hours of assemblage service.

ESPN's Baxter Holmes contributed to this report.