Charlotte Hornets Receive Huge Draft Asset From Miles Bridges Trade

The Charlotte Hornets may just have picked up a crucial piece of the future from the surprising Miles Bridges trade with the Phoenix Suns on Sunday. 

As part of the deal, the Hornets got Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale, and a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, potentially the biggest asset in the deal. 

With the pick being unprotected, the Hornets are banking on luck and the Suns not being a contending team seven years into the future. By that time, Devin Booker, the Suns’ franchise player, would be 36 years old and possibly out of his prime. 

Why The Charlotte Hornets Could Hit The Jackpot With This Draft Asset?

GettyNEW YORK, NEW YORK – JUNE 23: A view of the stage after the conclusion of Round One of the 2026 NBA Draft at Barclays Center on June 23, 2026 in New York City. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images)

The draft asset can also benefit from the new draft lottery system, known as the “3-2-1”, which expands the lottery to 16 teams, including the play-in teams, and gives the three worst teams fewer lottery balls than the teams placed fourth through 10th.

That means the Suns can be a mid-level contender playing in the play-in tournament in the Western Conference in 2033, and the Hornets would still have a strong chance of winning the lottery and potentially picking in the top four of that year’s draft. 

It is a great value for the Hornets, considering they only gave up Miles Bridges, who is on an expiring contract, a 2029 first-round pick with restrictions, and a 2027 second-round pick. 

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, who first broke the news, the Suns have long been targeting Bridges, who is only 28 years old, and is on the same timeline as Devin Booker. 

“The Suns acquire a starting PF at 28 years old in Bridges — whom they’ve targeted in recent years — plus a 2029 less favorable first-rounder and a 2027 less favorable second-rounder while getting $20 million in tax savings while opening up a roster spot ahead of free agency,” Charania posted on X.

“Charlotte picks up two playoff-tested role players and receives a valuable further out, unprotected Suns first-round pick,” he added. 

The trade comes a few days after the Hornets traded their franchise superstar LaMelo Ball and role player Josh Green, to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Naz Reid, a 2033 unprotected first-round pick, three first-round pick swaps, and three second-round picks.

Charlotte Hornets Now Own 3 1st Round Picks In 2033

GettyCHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA – APRIL 02: Brandon Miller #24 of the Charlotte Hornets looks on in the first half against the Phoenix Suns during their game at Spectrum Center on April 02, 2026 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jacob Kupferman/Getty Images)

The Charlotte Hornets are investing heavily in their future with the picks they are getting from these trades. 

After the Miles Bridges deal, the Hornets now have three first-round picks in the 2033 NBA Draft. 

One would be their own first-round pick, and the others are of the Timberwolves and the Suns, two Western Conference teams that could see their franchise superstars leave the city in the foreseeable future. 

With how stacked the West has been, betting on these franchises’ futures could yield the Hornets a massive haul. 

For now, the Hornets will have to develop their own young stars, such as Brandon Miller and Kon Knueppel, both of whom are seen as the squad’s leaders after LaMelo Ball was traded. 

In 2033, Miller and Knueppel will be in their physical primes. Miller would be 30 years old, while Knueppel would only be 27. 

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