Nuggets General Manager Calvin Booth has explained why the team traded away young guard Bones Hyland to the Clippers, and roasted him in the process.
“I knew you couldn’t have two guys that couldn’t guard, and we couldn’t have two guys that were young and kind of more ‘me guys,’” Booth told The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor. “Mike [Michael Porter Jr.] makes $30 million. He’s one of the best shooters in the NBA. So, Bones, there’s no place for you.”
NBA fans have reacted to Booth’s candid comments on X.
Bones will be better than Jamal Murray in 2 years😂😂
— 🐐 (@HonestKdfannn) October 16, 2023
This is crazy to say publicly well because MPj is still on your Roster lol
— CE (@khrisody) October 16, 2023
Bones Hyland can guard though, lmao. Oh and he’ll be healthy more than MPJ.
— 🦴 🏝️ (@BonesGotBizzy) October 16, 2023
MPJ to Calvin Booth rn pic.twitter.com/PH5TIjCGrY
— Spud 🏀 (@spudbball) October 16, 2023
Did anybody in the replies even watch him play? He was an awful defender that would chuck up bad shots and couldn't play team ball. IDK why everyone is gassing up and making excuses but he was garbage for them.
— I love chicken wings (@2Super2Soka) October 16, 2023
Lol Mike isn’t one of the best shooters at all. He stay chucking and couldn’t hit shit in the playoffs.
— Lhova (@LL_Cool_AF) October 16, 2023
It’s quite rare for an NBA team to trade away a player with two years left on his rookie contract, but that’s exactly what Denver did.
The franchise traded Hyland, the 26th overall pick of the 2021 NBA Draft to the Clippers in exchange for two second-round picks.
There were certainly some hard feelings between the 22-year-old and the Nuggets when he left.
Things got tense last season when Hyland was frustrated about being behind Jamal Murray in the pecking order, and at one point walked off the bench in a game against OKC.
In February, Murray himself seemed to take a shot at Hyland by saying on X that one “not complain about what you didn’t get [from] the work you didn’t put in”.
Hyland couldn’t help but respond via an Instagram video in the private plane the Clippers sent for him, saying “this is how they treat you when they love you,” in a petty reaction from the 22-year-old guard.
He also took another subtle shot at Murray when talking about playing with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.
“It was a great experience playing with Joker,” Hyland said. “Two guys over here who are phenomenal talents, and over there there’s one guy with phenomenal talent as well.”
So taking all that into account, the split certainly wasn’t an amicable one.