Naz Reid’s path to a major role with the Charlotte Hornets just became a lot cleaner.
The Hornets are trading Miles Bridges, a 2029 first-round pick and a 2027 second-round pick to the Phoenix Suns for Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neale and a 2033 first-round pick, ESPN’s Shams Charania reported on June 28.
That deal matters for Reid because Bridges was one of the obvious frontcourt pieces standing between him and a full-time starting job in Charlotte. The Hornets had already acquired Reid from the Minnesota Timberwolves in the LaMelo Ball trade, a deal that sent Ball and Josh Green to Minnesota for Reid, draft compensation and pick swaps.
Now, after moving Bridges, Charlotte’s frontcourt picture looks much less crowded at the top.
Charlotte Hornets Projected Starters After Miles Bridges Trade to Phoenix Suns
The cleanest projected Hornets starting lineup after the Bridges trade is:
PG: Coby White
SG: Kon Knueppel
SF: Brandon Miller
PF: Naz Reid
C: Moussa Diabate
That projection is not official, and Charlotte still has the rest of the offseason to reshape the roster. But it is a logical version of where the Hornets appear to be heading after moving Ball, Green and Bridges.
Coby White Kon Knueppel Brandon Miller Naz Reid Moussa Diabate
White gives Charlotte a veteran lead guard after reportedly agreeing to a three-year, $74 million deal with the Hornets. White averaged 17.4 points, 4.0 assists and 3.4 rebounds in the 2025-26 season and that Ball’s exit signaled a larger role for him.
Miller remains the most important long-term piece on the wing. Knueppel gives Charlotte another young perimeter scorer to develop. Diabate can handle the more traditional center responsibilities.
Reid is the most interesting piece because he gives Charlotte something different: a big forward/center who can stretch the floor, attack mismatches and function as more than a screen-and-dive big.
Reid is the 2023-24 Sixth Man of the Year and brings floor spacing and on-ball creativity to Charlotte.
That skill set plays better with more minutes.
GettySAN ANTONIO, TEXAS – MAY 12: Naz Reid #11 of the Minnesota Timberwolves drives to the basket against Devin Vassell #24 of the San Antonio Spurs around a screen set by Jaden McDaniels #3 during the second quarter in Game Five of the Second Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs at Frost Bank Center on May 12, 2026 in San Antonio, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
Miles Bridges Trade Clears a Bigger Role for Naz Reid
Bridges’ exit does not automatically make Reid the Hornets’ franchise cornerstone, but it does remove a major minutes obstacle.
Bridges was a high-usage forward who needed touches, closing-lineup consideration and frontcourt minutes. As long as he was on the roster, Reid’s best role was harder to pin down. Would Reid start next to another forward? Would he come off the bench as a super-sub? Would Charlotte stagger him between power forward and center?
The Bridges trade makes the answer simpler.
Reid can now be treated like one of the Hornets’ priority frontcourt players rather than a luxury piece acquired in the Ball deal. That is good news for a player who spent much of his Minnesota career proving he could produce in a bigger role but often had to fit around Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle.
Hornets’ Reset Is Becoming Clearer After LaMelo Ball, Miles Bridges Trades
The Bridges trade also makes Charlotte’s broader direction easier to read.
The Hornets are not just swapping one veteran for another. They are stripping down the old core, collecting future assets and trying to build a more balanced roster around Miller, Knueppel, Reid and White.
The Ball deal brought Reid and multiple future draft assets to Charlotte. The Bridges deal brings Allen, O’Neale and another future first-round pick, while also creating a cleaner frontcourt path. ESPN reported that Charlotte also gained roughly $20 million in tax savings and opened a roster spot in the Bridges trade.
Allen and O’Neale could help the Hornets as veteran rotation pieces, or they could become future trade candidates depending on Charlotte’s next move. Either way, neither profiles as the same frontcourt roadblock Bridges was for Reid.
That is why Reid is one of the immediate winners of the trade.
For Charlotte, the question is no longer whether Reid can find room in the rotation. It is whether he can turn a clearer opportunity into one of the best seasons of his career.
Naz Reid Gets Good News After Hornets Trade Miles Bridges