Bones Hyland and Mason Plumlee are going Hollywood. The Denver Nuggets will receive the Los Angeles Clippers' 2024 and 2025 second-round picks in exchange for Hyland, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The Charlotte Hornets will receive Reggie Jackson and a 2028 second-round pick in exchange for Plumlee, according to the Los Angeles Times' Andrew Greif.
Hyland, 22, is a microwave scorer who will give the Clippers another source of offense. He averaged 12.2 points in 19.5 minutes in 42 games for Denver this season, shooting 37.8 percent from 3-point range (and, less impressively, 42.5 percent from 2-point range). Los Angeles had been reportedly looking for an upgrade in the backcourt, and, since the John Wall experiment had not been working out the way it had hoped, it included Wall in a separate move that returned Eric Gordon to the Clippers (and sent Luke Kennard to Memphis).
In terms of floor spacing, Hyland is not Kennard, but he should do just fine. He's also a decade younger than Wall and Jackson, and talented players on their rookie contracts rarely become available like this. With Jackson headed for free agency in July, Los Angeles found a cheap replacement with upside. It is unclear, though, how big of a role Hyland will play when this (extremely deep) team is in the playoffs this season. The Clippers switch a ton, and opponents will target him defensively.
Plumlee gives Los Angeles a proven backup big man, and, crucially, a different look on offense. Last season, Isaiah Hartenstein thrived as a handoff hub on the second unit. Plumlee can play the same role, and his presence means that the Clippers only have to go small when they want to.
Denver surely would have preferred to get a first-round pick for Hyland, but if that were available at any point in the last week, then he likely would have been traded already. Hyland has received DNP-CDs in the Nuggets' last four games.
With these picks, the Nuggets have recouped some of the draft capital they gave up when they traded three second-rounders for Thomas Bryant earlier on Thursday.
Plumlee, who is on an $8.5 million expiring contract, essentially turns into a far-in-the-future second-rounder for Charlotte. According to The Athletic's Shams Charania, the Hornets will likely buy out Jackson's contract.
