Back in June, Hornets governor Gabe Plotkin highlighted the four players he saw as comprising the club’s “core nucleus”: LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Mark Williams and whomever the team selected at No. 6 (a pick later spent on Tidjane Salaün).

Roughly one month later, the team gave swingman Miles Bridges nucleus-level money to stick around with a three-year, $75 million deal. That felt aggressive for someone with a very uncertain free-agency market, given the fact that he missed the entire 2022-23 season following a no-contest plea for felony domestic abuse.

The 26-year-old had other suitors at least, but perhaps they were only interested in low-ball offers given his legal trouble.

If offered a mulligan, this is probably a decision the Hornets would like to revisit, either to let Bridges walk or at least sign him to more team-friendly terms. His numbers have dipped in quality and quantity, and he’s commanding a big chunk of touches (third-most shots on the team) that would, arguably, be better spent on developmental chances for younger players who might have a longer future with this franchise.