Jeff Peterson: Hornets ‘made it clear’ to Miles Bridges where team stands in free agency

Phase I is over and it’s onto Phase II.

After tipping things off by making a small trade during the second round of the NBA Draft on Thursday, Jeff Peterson can turn his attention to the next major step in the Charlotte Hornets’ offseason to do-list: reshaping the roster.

Peterson, who made his first notable transaction as the Hornets vice president of basketball operations in acquiring Reggie Jackson and three unprotected second-round picks from Denver, per league sources, insinuated the Hornets will be selective once the new league officially kicks in on Monday.

Charlotte has several decisions to make, with Miles Bridges’ status being the key to how they will put it all together for new coach Charles Lee.

“This time of year, it’s always fluid,” Peterson said. “Things happen all the time with trades and just different signings that maybe were not expected. So, as I said before, we’re going to be very, very strategic.

“My group and our group here, we have a ton of different iterations and paths that we’re prepared for, so I know we’ll be able to capitalize at the right time in terms of how we would use that room, collecting additional assets and finding future Hornets.”

Bridges holds the cards given he’s an unrestricted free agent, a result of signing a one-year $7.9 million tender last summer instead of a long-term deal after missing the entire 2022-23 season following his no contest plea to felony domestic violence.

He’s repeatedly said he wants to return, but it’s not going to come cheap after averaging career bests in points (21), made field goals (8.1), 3-pointers (2.3), 2-pointers (5.8), total rebounds (7.3) and defensive rebounds (6.3).

Under the terms of the new collective bargaining agreement, the Hornets were able to begin negotiating with Bridges earlier than normal — beginning the day after Boston won the NBA championship. Previously, it wasn’t allowed until the new league year began.

The window gives the Hornets an edge because other teams can’t discuss deals with other free agents until 6 p.m. Sunday.

“Yeah, I think the new CBA rule is ultimately a positive,” Peterson said. “I don’t want to get into any individual negotiations that I’ve had. I’ve made it very clear to Miles that we want him to remain as a Hornet.”

Peterson made something else, too: a deal to collect some picks in exchange for taking Jackson’s $5.25 million salary for 2024-25 into cap space, sources confirmed to The Charlotte Observer. It’s the second time Charlotte has traded for Jackson in the last 16 months.

Jackson was waived by the Hornets in February 2023 after being picked up in a trade with the LA Clippers on Feb. 9 and didn’t appear in a game for the Hornets.

There’s a good chance that will happen again, though it could take a while. The expectation is for the move to take place after the commencement of the new league year, per sources.

The Hornets will likely waive Jackson, considering they already have star point guard LaMelo Ball along with Tre Mann on the roster. They also selected Colorado point guard KJ Simpson at No. 42 in the NBA Draft, creating a bit of a logjam.

“Yeah, look, I see it as positive,” Peterson said. “You have no idea what’s going to happen through the season in terms of just foul trouble or whatever it may be, right? So, I think all three of those guys are very good. They’re also different, right?

“LaMelo has a little bit more size than all of them. Of course, Tre can play on and off the ball. KJ is a bit more ball dominant. So, in some ways, they complement one another. In some ways they’re different. So, I think that’s a positive.”

Translation: to paraphrase an old commercial, the Hornets are looking for more than a few good men at each position.

“We need guys on the floor who compete, who work, who are going to give the effort, who are going to defend,” Peterson said, “and then, of course, have some requisite of skill and some passing, shooting. Of course, you want your bigs to rebound. So there’s certainly different metrics that you want those five players to hit on the floor. But a lot of it just comes down to how they complement one another when they’re on the floor.”