Nuggets GM: Bones Hyland, Michael Porter Jr. Comments Weren't Meant to Be Public

Denver Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth suggested Tuesday that comments he made regarding current Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. and former Nuggets guard Bones Hyland were not supposed to be part of an article published by The Ringer on Monday.

In a piece written by Kevin O'Connor of The Ringer, Booth was quoted as saying: "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.' Mike makes $30 million. He's one of the best shooters in the NBA. So, Bones, there's no place for you."

Per Harrison Wind of DNVR Sports, Booth explained himself during an appearance on ESPN2 and praised both Porter and Hyland:

"Under no circumstances would I make or approve those kind of comments for public consumption. It's not my character as a person or executive, and I think it's an unfair characterization of Michael and Bones. I think Bones is a great kid, has a bright future ahead of him, a charismatic player in our game.

"And obviously Michael is a core piece of our program with his character and offensive and defensive prowess. So I think that was unfair for those things to be put out there, and hopefully it doesn't happen in the future."

One of the biggest in-season moves Denver made during its run to a championship during the 2022-23 campaign was trading Hyland to the Los Angeles Clippers as part of a four-team deal in February, which landed the Nuggets center Thomas Bryant from the Los Angeles Lakers.

Hyland was the No. 26 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft, and the former VCU standout has shown flashes of brilliance during his young career.

He averaged 10.1 points, 2.8 assists and 2.7 rebounds per game as a rookie, and followed that up last season with 12.1 points, 3.0 assists and 2.0 rebounds per contest in 42 games for the Nuggets last season before the trade.

MPJ barely played collegiately at Missouri due to injuries, and he missed his entire rookie season in the NBA with a back ailment, but the Nuggets took a chance on his talent with the 14th overall pick in the 2018 NBA draft nonetheless.

Durability has been an issue, as Porter has missed 20 or more games in each of his five NBA seasons, but the decision has largely paid off.

Porter broke out with a career-high 19.0 points and 7.3 rebounds per game, and last season he played in and started a career-high 62 games, and averaged 17.4 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.0 three-pointers made.

He was also a major factor during Denver's playoff run, starting 20 games and averaging 13.4 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.3 three-pointers made per contest.

Porter may not have been at the same level as two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić or star guard Jamal Murray in terms of his overall impact on the team last season, but he still played a pivotal role in a championship-winning performance.

As for Hyland, he is back with the Clippers this season, and he has a chance to develop into one of the best bench scorers in the entire league.