Miles Bridges talks between Phoenix Suns and Charlotte Hornets intensify

Miles Bridges talks between Phoenix Suns and Charlotte Hornets intensify

Here’s what I could tell you about miles Bridges we’re no longer in the exploratory phase this thing is getting serious MCO welcome into a special phnx Suns podcast with some not breaking news but some updates on the trade front he is flex I’m ASO Flex how are you this afternoon my man I’m good my brother busy it’s that time of year man no sleep but that’s that’s what the job that’s

That’s the duty so not complaining well no sleep and no longer in Brooklyn or the general area he is flex he’s got all the information three guys that have really come onto the radar over the last day two that really seem like are of interest to the Phoenix Suns obviously

Miles Bridges Royce O’Neal and KJ Martin what can you tell us on these three guys and what’s the latest yeah so we we’ll go in that order man um a guy like miles Bridges so you know the Suns have been having exploratory talks about mil miles bridges for quite some time and we’ve

Been talking about it behind the scenes for roughly a month and a half now um we we’ve been talking at length behind the scenes about miles Bridges um here’s what I could tell you about miles Bridges we’re no longer in the exploratory phase this thing is getting

Serious okay uh it’s graduated over the last 24 to 48 hours I can tell you that um spoke to multiple contacts that have confirmed to me that this is this is moving now this is getting potentially towards even a Finish Line and uh and it makes a lot of sense on the basketball

On the basketball court this is a guy in Miles Bridges who’s a 66 power forward 225 pounds he’s 25 years old okay and he’s on a $7.9 million expiring contract and he has veto power because of the qualifying offer and so uh this this guy guy is Uber talented on the basketball

Court off the basketball court he’s done some things that has has caused some controversy but if we’re talking just basketball makes a lot of sun a lot of sense for the Suns to be moving into the phase where this gets a lot more serious because you’re not just gonna get a guy

Like miles Bridges they don’t grow on trees as far as basketball Talent this is a guy that just two days ago espo you know he scored 30 points 15 rebounds five assists he had three blocks he had a steal he shot 55% from the field and

46% from three on 13 shots he was six for 13 so this is a guy that they believe can slide right into the starting po starting power forward spot uh potentially if they were to acquire him and you know the numbers don’t lie us but on a basketball court he’s

Averaging 21.1 points a game 7.5 rebounds 3.1 assists uh this is a very talented basketball player and in the position the suns are in ESO I have to stress you know you know after Thursday the rules changed significantly on how to upgrade this basketball team and with

A guy like miles uh they they they had to have these conversations and I can tell you it’s getting very very very serious on the miles Bridges front I’d imagine the and this is pure speculation on my part but the Michigan State ties have probably played a part in the

Comfortability of potentially making a move like this uh so I I’d imagine that’s weighed as part of this of course it is of course it is you’re talking about Matt ISP who’s a Michigan State Alum has a lot of connections you know has a very close relationship with a guy

Like you know coach ISO who coached miles Bridges and so there’s some Intimate Relationships that is is is foolish to ignore um in this situation and so you had those connections and and I will say this and I want to stress this um for for all these stuff around

Miles Bridges I will make this clear and I want to be very emphatic when I say this someone is going to trade for Miles Bridges and if it’s not the Phoenix Suns it may very well be a team in the Western Conference that the Phoenix Suns

Could match up with okay and so someone is going to get this Talent this this guy’s basketball talent and they’re going to bring him in with the idea of you know embracing the situation embracing the troubles and trying to find out how they can help rehabilitate

The kid and help him out and so uh if you don’t make the deal someone else will I was told by someone close to the situation that said you know you know you got to play the Clippers the Lakers and the Nuggets potentially in the playoffs you’re G to have to run into

Guys and a guy like miles Bridges who again is a powerful who 66 225 he helps you out with matchups versus the Kawhi lonard of the world the LeBron James of the world de Aaron gor of of the world so um on a on a pure basketball level

This there’s not not too many deals available with the Suns flexibility and the assets they have um that are better upgrade than and better upgrading fit than a guy like miles Bri obviously a moral portion of this to discuss but it seems like the the front office has gone

Through that uh ownership has gone through that as well and have found a way to make peace with it on their front uh obviously significantly more discussions to have uh on that when it comes to it and we will have those uh if a deal is consummated in other channels

But we’re just talking the rumors here so let’s take a look at Royce O’Neal as well of the Nets what are you hearing on that front yeah they they have interest in Royce O’Neal um I will say that the interest is is higher on the miles Bridges front and again for all the

Reasons we talked about at a basketball level but Royce O’Neal is a good player he’s more of a combo forward more of a more of a small forward he’s 66 226 so he’s got a good body but he’s 30 years old espo you know and and you got to

Take all this into consideration when you’re dealing with the ramifications that the suns are dealing with being in the second apron so this is a guy who’s on an expiring contract uh again he’s he’s 36 years old he’s on a $9.5 million expiring contract so slightly higher

Than what miles Bridges contract is and um he’s a good basketball player he averages seven points four rebounds and two assists uh once again compared to the numbers that we just talked about with Miles Bridges it’s night and day and so uh I think Royce is a guy that

They like he’s he’s a guy they’re interested in um and he is a what I would call at this point in in what I’m hearing uh a backup plan to to potentially a miles Bridges deal so Royce is a good player but uh again uh 30 years old on an expiring contract I

Kind of wonder if that’s enough of a needle mover with the restraints that the Suns have so what you’re looking at basically here is if some pit unforeseen Pitfall on the miles front happens that you’d be looking at a royce O’Neal correct correct if if something were to

Go wrong and the suns were to decide hey we’re we’re just not going to make the miles Bridges deal based on compensation or or whatever can happen in this business because it changes by the minute uh Royce O’Neal is a guy that they’ve uh they’ve got their fingers on

And and they’ve been having intense negotiations with the Nets about well KJ Martin obviously the uh the least interesting of the three is this again if you’re if you’re looking for Value if the other two uh don’t come about that this is kind of the third and final

Option if they have to go down that path yeah I mean he’s I would I’m comfortable saying that espo he would be the third option in in in the situation I’m hearing and uh again He’s got potential KJ Martin is again a six a 66 so all

Three of these guys are 66 you know you can connect it D however you want but the suns are looking for a small forward combo power forward 66 Wing Defender who brings some athleticism and defense all these guys kind of do that in their own

Way um but again 66 power forward he’s a little lighter he’s 215 but he’s the younger of the of the three he’s 23 years old and he’s he’s shown flashes of some potential but you know again when we talk about the season numbers and we talk about what the Suns did this off

Season with these minimum contracts with some of these guys maybe not working out the way they they they were hoping I think KJ Martin Falls right into that group is kind of a roll of a dice his kids averaging two points one rebound that’s it you know not even an assist so

He’s on a $1.9 million expiring contract MoneyWise it’s easier to make it happen uh but when you look at these three players and you look at what what they’re looking for it makes a lot of sense that the suns are now getting into the more serious phase in regards to

Negotiations with the Charlotte uh Charlotte Hornet about miles Bridges correct me if I’m wrong but KJ Martin’s a guy that they’ve shown interest in in the past I assume that they the front office just seees something with his potential there yeah they they’ve had their eye on KJ for quite some time uh

He’s a guy that I’ve I’ve has been in my ear for quite some time uh over the last couple years and so that happens a lot in basketball for instance you know I brought it up recently the other day you know when we acquired uh Grayson Allen

In DeAndre at and trade I wasn’t shocked because they were trying to acquire Grayson Allen last year uh in the talks for Jay Crowder and so sometimes you have your eye on a player and it doesn’t necessarily happen when you’re when you’re trying to make it happen but down

The road when the opportunity presents itself you get it done and there’s an opportunity to get a young KJ Martin in here um so it’s it’s gonna get interesting but the last 24 hours have been uh really interesting on on the Phoenix Suns front espo and uh you know

We’ve we’ve kind of refrained from getting into a lot of this but at this point uh we’ We’ve graduated to the point where things are getting serious and something can something could happen pretty soon so I thought it was a good idea to to get up uh get out ahead of

This and and start talking about it yeah I mean we’ve talked about the guys that they might get as talks intensify I assume just looking at the financials of it in the CBA that we’re probably talking about nasier little who everybody’s had uh circled there uh and

Somebody like a a chimzi that makes that kind of money uh in any of these kind of deals correct I mean it’s The Usual Suspects nothing surprising yeah the base Foundation is always going to be Nas little because he’s the contract that allows a lot of this stuff to work

And then you have a bunch of guys that they brought in that are minimum contracts the chi meus of the world the kbds the udas uh the Jordan Goodwins and so all those guys are up in the air but I would imagine that uh I I will say this I was

I was giving this little nugget before I started the show pay close attention who to who doesn’t play tonight all right um and and you can kind of connect the dots I I I’m always uncomfortable throwing names out there because I have relationships with some of these guys and their agents and it’s

Always uncomfortable when this time of of season comes around but uh yeah you know Walks Like A Duck and it quacks like a duck you know you know what I say don’t call it a dog or a dinosaur it’s a duck so pay attention who to to who

Doesn’t play tonight in regards to some of these talks we’ve talked wings uh no no duck pun intended uh we’ve talked wings but I know the other position that has been brought up by fans and in some minor rumors is obviously point guard in particular backup point guard position

There was a a report earlier today that the Wizards are looking for for two second round picks for tus Jones uh instead of the first rounders that they were looking for initially do you see the point guard position as one that the suns are still kicking the tires on and

Tyus Jones in particular I I will say that the number one priority is a wing Defender that can do everything that we just talked about previously um I also will say that I don’t think the Suns will uh turn their face at potentially acquiring backup point guard okay it’s

Something that they’ve talked about but it’s not the priority I I do not view it anymore as something that is a priority to them more of a luxury if they were able to make a deal and then maybe potentially fall into a point guard in the buyout Market or someone that’s

Value significantly drops at the deadline and they just can’t refuse uh I wouldn’t completely uh rule that out but a guy like tyus Jones is interesting and it goes back to what we just talked about you know this business sometimes there has been interest in T Jones for

Quite some time the Phoenix Suns like Ty Jones the problem is is you you have to make these deals and there’s layers to it there’s the basketball point there’s the player perspective the fit and then the financials when you talk about the agent and the career perspective uh for

Certain players and so a guy like tyus Jones when he was a backup point guard uh was a guy that had interest playing for the Phoenix Suns but I think at this point in his career after the Washington trade this guy’s a starting point guard

In the NBA and it’s hard to it’s hard for the player to get into a mode of I’m trying to be a starting point guard in this league I’m trying to put my me and my family in the best position possible um I don’t know that tus would be okay

With coming to Phoenix and becoming a backup point guard for the foreseeable future the way this roster built and so um I wouldn’t say the Suns don’t have interest in tires but I will say that in this business a lot of these trades have to have some type of mutual interest to

Get to the Finish Line I just don’t see that happening with high you bring up the buyout Market uh if you were James Jones Josh bin Isaiah Thomas whoever is making the call uh who would you be looking at in the buy up Market I I tell

You what and this is just my opinion okay um and I’m going to I’m going to combine the buyout market with the trade market uh if I were in this organization and I had the opportunity to make the calls uh I would I would be really looking at the miles Bridges uh

Possibility and then calling up PJ Tucker when he got bought out and and and see how bad he wants to come back to the valley and play with Devon Booker and the crew um because I think that solidifies a lot of the holes that we’re looking at we’re looking at the ability

To guard some of these forwards and playoff series guys like miles Bridges and PJ Tucker will help you in that situation and I just think a guy like PJ Tucker brings an attitude and a toughness and that dog that we talk about in the locker room into practices

And would be a incredible insurance policy in the event if someone were to get hurt in a playoff series or we need to find a way to figure out you know fill the gaps for maybe a game or two PJ Tucker is a guy that’s experienced and

Has done it and so yeah in the buyout Market a guy like uh PJ Tucker is a guy that you can’t ignore and with the ramifications of you know the sun’s only being allowed to negotiate with people who make $12 million or 12.4 and under he fits right into it so you’re also

Limited with some of the buyout Market stuff I would think that the Phoenix Suns are prioritizing uh something along that line he is Flex from the nipy hustle trade Command Center Flex thanks for all the updates we’ll talk to you soon I appreciate you ASO

A deal between the Phoenix Suns and Charlotte Hornets centered around wing Miles Bridges have been rumored for weeks. Over the last 48 hours things have intensified. Plus, is Royce O’neale, KJ Martin or Tyus Jones a possibility? We give you the latest on the NBA trade dealine

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