The Denver Nuggets seem to be willing to part ways with young guard Bones Hyland, and it appears that they might have some takers for him.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are interested in him, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.
“The Nuggets are in active trade conversations around guard Bones Hyland, with teams such as Minnesota expressing interest, according to sources,” wrote Charania.
Just recently, Jake Fischer of Yahoo! Sports revealed what the Nuggets are hoping to get in return for the 22-year-old.
“In exchange for Hyland, the Nuggets have expressed an interest in defensive-minded frontcourt players, sources said, and will search for a player plus a first-round pick,” Fischer wrote.
That doesn’t seem like too much of a price to pay for a well-rounded player that is currently averaging 12.3 points, 2.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game this season while knocking down 40.0 percent of his shots from the field and 37.9 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc.
One might be confused as to why the Nuggets, who are currently 34-16 and in first place in the Western Conference, might be willing to trade away a key part of their rotation.
According to Fischer, Hyland has occasionally clashed with Nuggets head coach Michael Malone. Therefore, it makes sense as to why Denver seems to be fine giving up the player who averages the seventh-most minutes per game on its roster this season.
While the Timberwolves might be interested in acquiring Hyland, it might be difficult for them to actually end up pulling off a deal. Minnesota sent plenty of its future first-round draft picks to the Utah Jazz in the offseason in exchange for big man Rudy Gobert.
Minnesota currently owns its 2024 and 2028 first-round picks. However, it cannot trade those selections due to league rules that prevent teams from trading their first-round picks in consecutive seasons. In order to receive Gobert, Minnesota traded its 2023, 2025, 2027 and 2029 first-round picks and a 2026 first-round pick swap.
If they are desperate to trade for Hyland, the Timberwolves might need to rope in a third team to help them meet Denver’s demands.
Only time will tell whether or not the No. 26 overall pick from the 2021 NBA Draft is still in Colorado past the Feb. 9 trade deadline.
