Bones Hyland Rumored To Be Traded, Could Be Moved At The NBA Deadline By The Denver Nuggets

By Jordan Long

The NBA trade deadline is a week away.  Rumors are swirling that the Nuggets could be trading one of their young stars, Bones Hyland.   

            Hyland is in his 2^nd year with the Denver Nuggets.  He is the backup point guard to Jamal Murray.  Last season, he played in 69 games, averaging 19 minutes.  In those appearances, Hyland showed what he could do at the NBA level.   He scored 10.1 points while dishing out 2.8 assists per game.  Hyland could shoot the three ball, making them at 36.6%.

            Denver was anticipating Hyland to take the next step as a role player.  He is averaging 12.1 points and 3 assists per game, meaning his numbers are increasing.  Looking at that, Denver shouldn’t trade away their young point guard.

            The problem with Hyland is he can be inconsistent on both ends of the floor.  On offense, Hyland can score but there are times when he forces up shots.   Those are either wild or contested when he should pass the ball up.  Those shots are missed. 

On defense, there are times Hyland looks very disinterested in guarding his man.  When that happens, that player is wide open to make a three or drive into the lane for an easy layup or dunk.

            Hyland though isn’t paying attention to the rumors.  According to cbssports.com, Hyland said, “I don’t care. It doesn’t bother me at all.   I don’t pay no mind to it. Whatever happens, happens. …I really don’t care. I’m not the type to overthink something. Or think that this decision is going to put me at the bottom of the world. I know I’ll be good regardless of what happens.” 

The Nuggets are in a win now mode.  If they trade Hyland, Ish Smith most likely becomes the backup point guard.  This all depends on who they get in return.  It is possible rookie Christian Braun could see more action.

Even though it looks like a trade is going to happen, Denver shouldn’t do it.  They would be giving up a young player who could be a future star.  Hyland’s cap hit isn’t large at around $2.21 million this year and $2.3 million next, a steal for a player like him.

            Denver is going to do what is best for the franchise moving forward.  They have title aspirations this year.  They will look at all their options.  The trade deadline is on February 9^th at 1 PM Mountain Time.