Spurs Rumors: SA could break the bank for Miles Bridges

One writer for The Athletic believes Miles Bridges could be just the guy the San Antonio Spurs need this offseason.

Through 22 games played, Bridges has established himself as a leading candidate for the NBA Most Improved Player Award with his inspiring play. After averaging 12.7 points and 6.0 rebounds per game last season, he's bumped those averages to 20.3 and 7.4 per game through a quarter of the 2021-22 season.

The hot start to the season has given the Hornets a firm spot in the Eastern Conference so far and is turning the heads of the NBA.

"Bridges will likely be extremely popular in a target-light market," said John Hollinger in a recent column (subscription required).

Hollinger then predicts the teams most likely to pursue Miles would be the ones looking to rebuild with young pieces, which perfectly describes the current state of the Spurs. As he states, it might come down to only four teams having enough to extend a sufficient offer sheet to the 23-year-old: The Pistons, Magic, Spurs, and Grizzlies.

The San Antonio Spurs could throw a huge offer out to Miles Bridges

As we've covered previously, San Antonio is one of only a handful of teams that will have cap space when the offseason comes around. Adding a talent like Bridges would certainly be a worthy pursuit if he keeps playing how he's been playing in the first few weeks of the season.

Since Bridges will be a restricted free agent after he and the Hornets didn't agree to a contract extension, Charlotte can still match an offer sheet, but it could cost them more than they're willing to part with if it's high enough.

Where Miles has most shown improvement this season has been in his one-on-one game, something the Spurs are missing badly as shown by their 2.8% isolation possession frequency (last in the NBA).

Could Bridges be the go-to offensive weapon the Spurs have been missing to close out games with DeMar DeRozan's departure? He'll definitely be one to monitor all season to see if his blazing start is the sign of him becoming one of the NBA's next rising stars.