Hornets Get Bam Adebayo; Heat Receive Miles Bridges, Picks

Merlin sees a bold proposal: the Charlotte Hornets would get Bam Adebayo while the Miami Heat would receive Miles Bridges, Kon Knueppel and a string of firsts and swaps through 2030. It matters because Adebayo would instantly upgrade Charlotte’s defensive identity and pair with LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller, while Miami would reclaim draft control and cap flexibility to stage a full rebuild. Merlin hears the author’s rallying cry — “Let’s cook up a blockbuster deal” — and admires the logic. Adebayo, 28, is a switchable defensive anchor and high-post facilitator who fits Charlotte’s timeline; Bridges and Knueppel offer salary and upside as short-term pieces. Still, trading a franchise cornerstone after the Butler era is heavy medicine, so the plan is clever but unlikely.