Timberwolves promote Jaylen Clark to NBA contract, bring in Bones Hyland

LOS ANGELES — When Jaylen Clark played his first significant minutes in the Timberwolves rotation on Jan. 29 against the Suns, he initially thought coach Chris Finch called for another player — Jaden McDaniels.

Clark wasn’t used to hearing his first name come out of Finch’s mouth, and in a loud arena, you could forgive him for thinking Finch was asking McDaniels to re-enter the game.

But since that night, Clark has been a mainstay in the Wolves rotation thanks to his defensive tenacity. Because of that, the Wolves rewarded Clark, who was on a two-way contract, with a fully guaranteed NBA minimum contract for the rest of this season and next season, a source confirmed.

With the open two-way slot, the Wolves are signing guard Bones Hyland, who has played four seasons with the Nuggets and Clippers.

Clark’s contract represents a deserved reward for the way he has helped the Wolves navigate a tricky stretch in this season where injuries have caused players like Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, Mike Conley, Rudy Gobert and Anthony Edwards to miss various amounts of games.

The Wolves drafted Clark 53rd overall out of UCLA in 2023 a few months after he tore his Achilles late that season. He spent all of last season rehabilitating the injury, which was a frustrating process that contained a few setbacks along the way.

“I was out a year and two months before I could even, like, pick up a ball,” he told the Star Tribune last month in Utah.

“It doesn’t really feel like you’re going anywhere until the weeks, months and a year goes by,” Clark said. “Then you’re like, now I’m just back at the base level. I have to start running, lifting. It’s a long process, man. I don’t wish that on nobody.”

But he has emerged on the other end with an NBA contract.

The Wolves played the Thunder in three of their last four games, and in each game Clark handled the responsibility of guarding potential MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. The Wolves won two of those games. In the other on Sunday, Clark was a plus-20 before he had to leave the game because of a neck injury. He was able to return to the lineup Monday in Oklahoma City.

Hyland, 24, now reunites with the person who drafted him, Wolves President Tim Connelly.

When Connelly was in Denver, he drafted Hyland 26th overall in the 2021 draft. He has averaged 9.7 points, 2.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists. He shoots 40% for his career overall, 36% from three-point range. The Nuggets dealt him to the Clippers in 2023, where he spent parts of the last three seasons. Hyland averaged 7.2 points in 20 games this season before the Clippers dealt him to Atlanta at the trade deadline. The Hawks then waived him.