NBA rumors: 76ers-Mikal Bridges reunion, Brandon Ingram tea leaves, Hornets spurn JJ Redick

The offseason has arrived for over half the league. All eyes remain on the NBA Playoffs, but the NBA Draft Lottery is this Sunday and the Combine is shortly thereafter. Every team — even those still playing — are deep into their summer preparation. It's only a matter of time until trades start flying and the competitive landscape shifts.

We have been treated to a deluge of NBA rumors already, with several high-profile names on the chopping block and imminent change on the horizon. The new CBA is going to promote serious reevaluations of roster construction and competitive philosophy.

Here are the latest happenings and future musings that deserve your attention.

NBA rumors: Hornets hire Celtics assistant Charles Lee as head coach, spurn JJ Redick

Steve Clifford transitioned into a front office role for the Charlotte Hornets at season's end, opening the door for a new head coach to shepherd LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller to the promised land. After an extensive search, recently-hired GM Jeff Peterson found his man — Boston Celtics lead assistant Charles Lee.

The 39-year-old Lee inked a four-year deal to coach the Hornets, per ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski.

Lee has been on several contenders at this point, winning the championship on Mike Budenholzer's Milwaukee Bucks staff in 2021. He moved to Joe Mazzulla's group in Boston after Budenholzer was canned by Milwaukee. Both Lee and Peterson got their start in NBA leadership with the Atlanta Hawks, where Lee became an assistant coach for the first time in 2014.

There were two known finalists for the Hornets' gig — Lee, and ESPN broadcaster JJ Redick. There was a lot of buzz around the former Duke superstar and 15-year NBA vet. Redick never played in Charlotte, but he's a legend in the area from his college days and his basketball knowledge is well-traveled thanks to his popular podcasts.

Redick is also considered a candidate for the Los Angeles Lakers' head coach job. With Charlotte off the table, maybe Redick ends up coaching his podcast co-host LeBron James next season. It certainly feels like a matter of when, not if Redick lands a coaching job. He's too well-regarded.

NBA rumors: Brandon Ingram and Willie Green butted heads in Pelicans-Thunder series

The New Orleans Pelicans' 49-win season came to an unceremonious end when the Oklahoma City Thunder swept them out of the first round. Zion Williamson's absence hung over the series like a dark cloud. Brandon Ingram was called upon to lead the New Orleans offense and he simply could not deliver. Across four games, the Pelicans were a combined -63 with Ingram on the floor. He averaged 14.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.3 assists on .345/.250/.895 splits in 36.4 minutes.

Most would blame Ingram, but apparently the former No. 2 pick expressed frustration to his head coach in the locker room. Here's the latest reporting from Shams Charania of The Athletic, which paints a rather grim picture of the mood in NOLA.

"League sources tell me that Pelicans forward Brandon Ingram and coach Willie Green had a minor exchange in the locker room during Game 2 of the team’s first-round series with the Thunder, with Ingram essentially telling Green he wanted the ball and wanted the coach to help facilitate that."

Even with Zion out of the picture, Ingram and head coach Willie Green weren't on the same page about usage within the offense. As New Orleans approaches an inflection point, president David Griffin has vowed to change the roster. Despite all his injury baggage, Zion is clearly the foundation upon which New Orleans needs to build. That could lead to an Ingram trade.

The 26-year-old Ingram is extension eligible this offseason, but the Pelicans aren't expected to make an offer, per Forbes' Eric Sidery. It could be time for a parting of the ways. Ingram made his first (and so far, only) All-Star appearance with the Pelicans in 2020, but his skill set clashes uncomfortably with Zion when the latter is optimized. If Ingram can't even lead the charge when Williamson is out, there's no point in repeating a failed recipe.

NBA rumors: Potential trade to reunite Mikal Bridges and 76ers

The Philadelphia 76ers selected Mikal Bridges 10th overall in the 2018 NBA Draft. It felt right. Bridges starred right down the street at Villanova, where he won the national title in 2016 and 2018. Those banners hang in the Wells Fargo Center. Heck, Bridges' mother even worked for the Sixers. Of course he was the pick at 10.

Then, Bridges was traded to the Phoenix Suns for the No. 16 pick (Zhaire Smith) and pocket change. The Bridges-Sixers era lasted mere minutes. Bridges has since admitted his emotional state at the time. He was frustrated and disappointed. It all worked out for him individually — he's well-compensated as the No. 1 option for the Brooklyn Nets these days — but the Sixers dropped the ball.

Zhaire Smith never panned out for various Sixers-esque reasons, such as a sesame allergy that derailed his career and a lack of shooting development. Only in Philadelphia. Bridges is now a stone's throw away in Brooklyn, in the Sixers' own division, toiling in mediocrity. What if the Sixers could save him and right a past wrong?

Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz cooked up a trade proposal to accomplish just that.

The Sixers are in a unique situation with two bonafide All-Stars in Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey and roughly $60 million in cap space. Embiid and Maxey are the only two Sixers under guaranteed contract for next season, so Philadelphia can acquire both Bridges and Dorian Finney-Smith from the Nets without sending players back. The ability to recoup future draft capital and shed salary could be particularly intriguing for the Nets, even if the front office remains resistant to the idea of trading Bridges.

Brooklyn would prefer to add star-power next to Bridges, but let's be realistic. The Nets are the little brother team in New York. If stars can't land with the Knicks, several other major markets — Miami, Los Angeles, maybe even Philadelphia — stand above Brooklyn in the NBA hierarchy. Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving feels like a flash in the pan, not the sort of superstar coup the Nets can pull on a semi-regular basis.

If the Nets are tired of losing a bunch of games with Bridges miscast as the No. 1 option, well... Philadelphia is a natural home. He'd look quite good as the third banana next to Embiid and Maxey.