Charlotte Hornets’ Miles Bridges arrested on felon charges

Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges was arrested in Los Angeles on Wednesday after a warrant was issued, according to a spokesperson from the Los Angeles Police Department.

LAPD spokeswoman Lizeth Lomeli didn’t release any information about Bridges’ arrest, but according to a report from TMZ Sports, he turned himself into police following an alleged physical altercation with a woman on Tuesday. The woman needed medical attention after the incident and when law enforcement arrived, Bridges was gone, TMZ reported. He was released after posting a $130,000 bail.

“The Charlotte Hornets are aware of the situation involving Miles Bridges,” the team said in a statement. “We are in the process of gathering additional information. We will have no further comment at this time.”

Bridges is a restricted free agent and could command an average salary of more than $20 million per season after turning down a four-year, $60 million deal just prior to the start of the 2021-22 season. Hornets general manager Mitch Kupchak said Tuesday during the introductory press conference for coach Steve Clifford that re-signing their leading scorer this past season very much remained a priority.

“As an organization, we love Miles and we are going to bring him back,” Kupchak said. “He’s been great for the franchise and I believe with his work ethic he’s only going to get better.”

Precisely how the arrest now affects Bridges heading into free agency is unclear. The Hornets extended a $7.9 million qualifying offer to Bridges on Tuesday, giving them the power to match any contract he receives on the open market. Very few teams have enough salary cap space to sign Bridges to a mega contract, likely already shrinking his potential market.

Bridges’ arrest is the latest incident in a rough offseason for the Hornets.

Montrezl Harrell, who is an unrestricted free agent, is facing felony drug charges stemming from a May traffic stop in Kentucky. According to court records, Harrell was cited by a state trooper for having three pounds of marijuana in a backpack in the rear seat of a vehicle he was traveling in. He was scheduled to be arraigned June 13 to answer the traffic citation, but the arraignment was continued until July 13.

This story was originally published June 30, 2022 7:46 AM.