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As the Feb. 5 NBA trade deadline draws nearer, the Charlotte Hornets are facing tough decisions regarding keeping their core together.
However, despite the rumors that star point guard LaMelo Ball is a top trade candidate, his Hornets teammates aren’t giving up hope that there won’t be major changes coming to the roster in the next few days.
“I feel like everybody else wants everybody to stay together,” Hornets veteran wing Miles Bridges told Roderick Boone of the Charlotte Observer. “But you’ve just got to control what you can control, continue to stack games.”
The Hornets improved to 18-28 this season with a 119-115 win over the Washington Wizards (10-34) on Saturday, their third win in their last four games. Their recent success has fueled optimism that the young team is finally starting to turn the corner in its perpetual rebuild, and the players are hoping to stick together.
“That’s the goal, to have everybody stay here,” second-year wing Brandon Miller said. “But unfortunately, it’s the game. We only can control what we can control. So, I think just controlling the controllables would be great.”
In addition to the trade speculation surrounding Ball, Bridges has also seen his name come up in trade rumors. He told Boone that he’s prepared for any outcome, but he made it clear that he would rather stay in Charlotte.
“Just focus on winning, focus on controlling what I can control. If I get traded, if I don’t get traded. … I would rather be here,” Bridges said. “But I know if I do get traded, I know Jeff Peterson (the Hornets’ president of basketball operations) and those guys, they’ll talk to me first. So, I don’t try to worry about that. I just worry about the games.”
Despite all the trade chatter, the Hornets have become a galvanized group committed to growing and developing together as part of a franchise that has been starving for some positivity.
“We just stay together, stay in the locker room,” Miller said. “We hear it, we see it all. Can’t really let that faze us as men/basketball players. So, just stay locked in with your brothers and just go from there.”