The Nuggets have an obvious need at backup point guard and very limited spending power. One way they could add a young talent who can handle the ball and hit some shots without breaking the bank is by swallowing some medicine and going out and signing their first-round draft pick from 2021, Bones Hyland.
Hyland burst onto the scene with a solid rookie year, but fell out of favor, clearly wanting a bigger role and not buying into the team concept. He was shockingly traded as a sophomore and has bounced around the fringes of the league ever since.
But he found a home in Minnesota and latched on with the Wolves this year as a meaningful contributor off the bench, giving the Timberwolves 8.5 points and 2.6 assists per game on 46% shooting and 39% three-point shooting in 16 minutes a night, appearing in 71 games.
The fit would be far from perfect, but that’s exactly the kind of steady production the Nuggets need coming off the bench. Hyland is a free agent, and Denver could go back to the well and see if he wants to come home on a minimum deal to give them some microwave scoring off the bench. Still just 25 years old, there’s a nonzero chance that Hyland could find his groove and have a late breakout as a super sixth man for the team where he got his start.
Hyland would be a vast improvement at backup point guard
Hyland isn’t going to change the equation for the Nuggets, but he could help. The team had nobody to take the pressure off Jamal Murray, and that caught up with him in the playoffs. Hyland isn’t going to come in and light it up, but he can eat innings in the regular season and offer a chance at getting hot in any playoff game.
At this point, the Nuggets just need warm bodies, and the point guard market is pretty bleak, especially for what they can afford. Rather than kick the tires on a retread with no ceiling, why not try to buy back in on Hyland, a player they obviously liked not that long ago, who has had some great moments in the NBA (he went over 20 points four times down the stretch in 2026, alone).
He can obviously still play and offers a bit of upside for a likely minimum signing. Maybe he doesn’t change Denver’s fortunes much, but he can’t be worse than what they’ve got now, and he has the potential to be significantly better.
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