NBA free agency waits for nobody, which is why the Phoenix Suns trading for Miles Bridges already feels like old news.
It shouldn't, particularly when the cost of giving up an unprotected first round pick as part of the package to acquire him from the Charlotte Hornets continues to look even worse.
Suns receiving backlash for Bridges deal reality Hornets know all too well
We're not here to go into detail about what Bridges has done off the court, a quick Google search will get you caught up. But what the front office in The Valley appears to have miscalculated badly is just how vocal the fanbase have been about getting a player with the character of Bridges on their team.
The Hornets knew all about this having stood by and continued to play Bridges despite his off the court issues, and a quick glance at their various social media outlets will show you they are relieved that he is gone.
There was never going to be a good time to acquire Bridges, but the timing and what Phoenix gave up for the deal to happen make it even worse. Grayson Allen and Royce O'Neale were too beloved veterans who helped make last season's group what it was.
The roster coming together and defying the odds to make the playoffs, with others such as Dillon Brooks a massive part of that success story. Bottom line, that team was likeable, and it got so much of the fanbase back onside after the failed Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal era.
We've already covered the extent of the damage caused in more detail here, but this is an issue that is not going to go away. It is clear the Hornets have gotten their act together and want to be taken serious as a franchise as well, which is why they also traded away cornerstone LaMelo Ball.
Moving on from Bridges ensures some of the bad smell around that team leaves the state, and it has now landed in The Valley.
There is no quick fix here either, because even if Bridges is a success there will still be fans who are grossed out by his very presence and won't cheer for the team. So much for owner Mat Ishbia preaching a long-term approach to again building a winner under different circumstances.
Charlotte are going to be one of the most fun (and likeable) teams in the entire league next season. The Suns? Win or lose Bridges is going to be a talking point, a fact the Hornets no longer have to worry about.
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