NBA restricted free agent Miles Bridges pleaded no contest to a felony domestic violence charge on Thursday, according to ESPN. As a result, Bridges will face three years of probation and no jail time. Throughout his probation, Bridges will be forced to undergo 52 weeks of both domestic violence counseling and parenting classes, serve 100 hours of community service, and undergo weekly narcotics testing.
Bridges, 24, was initially arrested on on June 29 for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend in front of their children, and he was released after posting $130,000 bail. In July, he was formally charged with one felony count of injuring a child's parent, and two felony counts of child abuse under circumstances or conditions likely to cause great bodily injury or death. He pled not guilty to all three counts at the time.
Bridges is not currently with an NBA team. The Charlotte Hornets, the team he's been with since being being drafted 12th in 2018, extended a qualifying offer to him prior to his arrest, so they would have the opportunity to match any outside offers, but there haven't been any. If he were to sign with a team, the league would have the right to fine, suspend or dismiss him entirely under the current CBA, per ESPN.
Bridges was the Hornets' leading scorer last season, averaging 20.2 points, seven rebounds and 3.8 assists in 80 games. Prior to his arrest, he was widely expected to receive a sizable contract, either from the Hornets or another team. Now, his future in the NBA is a major question mark.
