Miles Bridges must improve quickly to justify the Suns’ trade

Kevin Humpherys argues that Miles Bridges must quickly elevate his performance to justify the Phoenix Suns acquiring him via offseason trade. The Suns rank last in defensive rating early in the 2026-27 season through three games, with Bridges recording a -17.0 net rating. In addition to struggling defensively in a small-ball center role caused by injuries to Oso Ighodaro and Mark Williams, Bridges has converted only 20 percent of his 6.7 three-point attempts per game.

Humpherys notes that Phoenix surrendered Royce O'Neale, Grayson Allen, and an unprotected first-round draft pick to acquire Bridges. While acknowledging that Bridges missed substantial preseason action with an ankle sprain and is adjusting to a new team, the writer asserts that Bridges must demonstrate consistent motor and effort before December to avoid the trade being deemed a failure by team owner Mat Ishbia and the front office.