If Nuggets move Hyland, what could he land?

When Bones Hyland didn’t get off the bench in a game that was missing four starters due to injury, the writing was on the wall.

Hyland’s fallen out of the rotation completely in the days leading up to Thursday’s trade deadline. Rather than showcase Hyland to prospective teams, not only reminding suitors how devastating his speed can be, the Nuggets opted to sit him. That’s beside the point that Hyland’s availability could’ve helped Denver win on the second night of a back-to-back on Sunday in Minnesota.

The Nuggets, presumably, decided that keeping Hyland healthy was the more important route.

The question is, what could Hyland yield, and maybe more importantly, what does Denver need to round out its roster ahead of the postseason? The Nuggets view themselves as championship contenders, and any move on the margins could have significant ramifications.

The Denver Post reported last week that the Nuggets were seeking a two-way rotation player and draft compensation, or a firstround pick for Hyland. Sources said the Nuggets felt they had traction on a first-round pick. The Nuggets (and other teams) could be waiting for other major dominoes to fall prior to Thursday’s deadline. Multiple league sources said Toronto, in addition to New Orleans and Minnesota, had registered some level of interest in Hyland.

A first-round pick doesn’t help the Nuggets this season (unless you view a potential Hyland trade as addition by subtraction), which is why returning a player is more important.

Their traded player exception, stemming from this summer’s Monte Morris-kentavious Caldwell-pope trade, is worth $9.125 million and would thus