CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — The Charlotte Hornets are continuing their offseason overhaul.
The Hornets have agreed to trade forward Miles Bridges, a 2029 first-round draft pick and a 2027 second-round pick to the Phoenix Suns for guard Grayson Allen, forward Royce O’Neale and a 2033 first-round pick, a person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Sunday because the trade, which was first reported by ESPN, still needs to be approved by the league.
The trade comes on the heels of the Hornets sending star point guard LaMelo Ball to Minnesota as part of a deal that brought them Naz Reid, draft picks and pick swaps.
That appears to have set off a major restructuring in Charlotte just months after the team improved its win total by 24 games from last season under second-year head coach Charles Lee.
The Hornets lost in the play-in game to Orlando.
The 6-foot-7 Bridges, 28, was the longest-tenured player on the Hornets roster, joining the team as a first-round draft pick in 2018 out of Michigan State.
In seven seasons, he averaged 15.9 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game while shooting 46.1% from the field and 33.8% from 3-point range. His best season came in 2023-24 when he averaged 21 points and 7.3 rebounds while shooting 34.9% from beyond the arc.
He sat out the 2022-23 season following accusations of domestic abuse.
Bridges was arrested in June 2022 on the eve of free agency on charges including felony child abuse and injuring a child’s parent. The NBA forced him to to sit out while his legal case was pending. He ultimately pleaded no contest to a felony domestic violence charge in November 2022.
Bridges was suspended for 30 games in April 2023 by the league but received a 20-game credit because he missed the entire 2022-23 season.
Charlotte never made the playoffs with Bridges' tenure with the team.
The trade opens the door for Reid, one of the league's top reserves, to potentially start at power forward.
The 6-foot-3 Allen grew into a solid scorer in his three seasons with the Suns, averaging a career-high 16.5 points and 3.8 assists per game, though injuries limited him to just 51 games.
He's the third former Duke player to join the Hornets roster.
The 30-year-old is considered an elite 3-point shooter, though his accuracy dipped to 34.9% from long range last season.
O’Neale, 33, is a versatile veteran entering his 10th NBA season. The 6-foot-6 forward spent the past 2 1/2 seasons with the Suns and averaged a career-high 9.8 points per game last season while shooting nearly 41% from beyond the arc.
AP Sports Writer David Brandt in Phoenix contributed to this report.
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/nba
FILE - Phoenix Suns guard Grayson Allen dribbles the ball against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the first half of Game 4 in a first-round NBA playoffs basketball series, Monday, April 27, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, file)
FILE - Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges makes a shot against the Orlando Magic during the second half of an NBA play-in tournament basketball game, Friday, April 17, 2026, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux, file)
LONDON (AP) — When Serena Williams played her first professional tennis match in nearly four years recently, another elite female athlete in her 40s was on hand for the occasion.
Skier Lindsey Vonn has a special understanding of what Williams is going through as she prepares to play both singles and doubles at Wimbledon at age 44.
After making her own comeback, Vonn was the top World Cup downhiller last season at age 41 until her horrific crash at the Milan Cortina Olympics in February left her with a severely fractured left leg.
“There is an increasing shift in what women can accomplish at later stages in their careers or life,” Vonn told The Associated Press. “I feel like we are in the same boat, where we don’t need to prove anything to anyone but we still have the ability to compete at an elite level. She (Willliams) also told me that I played a role in inspiring her to come back so that of course was meaningful to me.”
Vonn talked with Williams after the tennis standout’s doubles victory with partner Victoria Mboko at Queen’s Club in London, having watched the match from one of the VIP balconies.
“She was in great spirits. She’s having fun which I loved seeing, even more than her tennis,” Vonn said in a written response. “If it’s bringing her joy to play, I say play as long as you want!”
Vonn has undergone eight surgeries following her Olympic crash — which nearly led to a leg amputation — and needs at least one more to repair a torn ACL in that same knee. But she’s back in the gym and has resumed physical training, while still assessing whether she’ll compete again.
After nearly six years away from skiing, Vonn returned in December 2024 with a partial titanium replacement in her right knee. She had two victories and seven podium results last season.
On Centre Court at Wimbledon on Tuesday, Williams will play her first singles match since 2022 against 20-year-old Maya Joint of Australia. Then she’ll play doubles with older sister Venus Williams later in the week.
So what does Vonn expect from Williams at Wimbledon?
“It’s her first major singles tournament since retiring so I would expect for her to play well but not show all her cards yet,” Vonn said. “I’m sure she can still win, but I wouldn’t put any expectations on her. She’s the GOAT (greatest of all time) no matter what happens.”
Indeed, Williams is a 23-time Grand Slam champion in singles and has won 14 more Grand Slams in doubles — all with Venus as her partner. Vonn’s 45 World Cup downhill wins are the most by a male or female skier.
“It was kind of like riding a bike,” Williams said Sunday of her first practice sessions back at the All England Club. “Obviously when I play, I might have a lot of things come up.”
No matter the outcome, Williams shares Vonn’s credo of setting the bar high to create new standards.
“You have to believe in yourself and go for any dream,” Williams said, “no matter how wild it may be.”
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
Serena Williams of the United States, left, arrives to practice one day ahead of the start of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Sunday, June 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
FILE - United States' Lindsey Vonn crashes during an alpine ski women's downhill race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, file)
Serena Williams of the United States arrives to practice one day ahead of the start of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Sunday, June 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
FILE - United States' Lindsey Vonn concentrates ahead of an alpine ski, women's downhill official training, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Marco Trovati, file)
Serena Williams of the United States arrives to practice one day ahead of the start of the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London, Sunday, June 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)
