For the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Naz Reid departure leaves behind more than just a roster spot. It leaves a very specific kind of problem: how do you replace a bench player who could come in every night and deliver starter-level production?
That was the edge Reid gave this team for the past few seasons. He was a true super sub, the rare reserve who changed the game without needing a starting role.
With Reid now in Charlotte, Minnesota has to find a new answer, and the truth is that answer probably won’t look like Reid. A forward with that same mix of size and skill is hard to find.
So if the Wolves are going to uncover that kind of value, the best internal bet might be Bones Hyland. The recently re-signed guard looks like the most realistic candidate to become the team’s sixth man, especially if Minnesota doesn’t end up adding a starting power forward.
If the Wolves do sign or trade for one, Ayo Dosunmu could slide back to the bench and take on that job. But that path is far from certain.
Hyland’s case gets even stronger when you compare him with Terrence Shannon Jr. Shannon has shown he needs the ball in his hands to be effective, and that can be a tougher fit in a Wolves offense that looks more settled now. You can absolutely make the argument that Shannon’s playoff run gives him a shot at the role, but Hyland’s ability to operate both on and off the ball gives him the cleaner fit.
Last season, Hyland went from a nice story to a real rotation piece. He claimed Minnesota’s final standard roster spot, then worked his way into a meaningful role by December. Over the season, he averaged 8.5 points while shooting 45.3/38.8/78.
He brought the Wolves a steady scoring lift and, with his “Twin Turbo” Dosunmu, helped keep the tempo up. That matters because pushing the pace looks like part of Minnesota’s identity now, and Hyland fits that style naturally. He can create his own shot, but he doesn’t need the ball every possession to stay useful.
There’s also room for more. Hyland turns 26 before the season starts, so another step forward is still on the table.
And the Wolves need that kind of growth if they want him to become more than a spark plug. He was a microwave scorer last season, and that still has value, but Minnesota is short on reliable bench production and may need him to do more.
Hyland’s early years in Denver hinted at a player who could become an elite sixth man, and some of that upside showed up again last season. The bar for becoming a true super sub is high, no question. But right now, he looks like Minnesota’s best shot at filling the void Reid left behind.
In Other News...
Mavericks Move May Have Just Opened Minnesotas Power Forward Door
Dallas decision to bring in Santi Aldama may have done more than add another frontcourt piece. It also nudged the Mavericks a little closer to a conversation that matters for Minnesota, where the Timberwolves are still trying to solve their power-forward spot and are watching the market for players who can hold up defensively while not disappearing on the other end.
P.J. Washington fits that broad description as well as almost anyone likely to surface in trade chatter, which is why his name keeps coming up around the Wolves. He brings the kind of matchup flexibility Minnesota covets, can punish smaller defenders, and still offers enough spacing to keep an offense from clogging, even in a season that has not gone as smoothly from outside. If Dallas is more willing to listen now, Minnesotas path to a deal could start taking shape quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Hornets Fans Just Got The LaMelo Ball News They Feared
The offseason rumor mill has already turned into something closer to a full-blown roster shuffle, with the East in particular taking on a very different look. Boston has agreed to send Jaylen Brown to Philadelphia for Paul George and draft picks, Nikola Vucevic is back with Orlando, and the Raptors and Heat are being tied to headline-grabbing returns and arrivals that would reshape the conference in a hurry.
For Minnesota, though, the most relevant part of the wave is the kind that changes the ceiling of a team overnight. LaMelo Ball is now headed to the Timberwolves, giving the franchise a new star-level name to slot into the conversation as the rest of the league keeps moving around him. The Hornets, naturally, are the ones left to absorb the loss, while Minnesota now has to sort out what comes next after landing the most eye-catching piece in the whole transaction frenzy. [Read more 🡒]