Minnesota Turned One Fringe Wing Into Multiple Chances
Minnesota sent Lazar Hayward to Oklahoma City on December 13, 2011 and received Robert Vaden plus two second-round assets. The immediate player swap was modest: neither Hayward nor Vaden projected as a core piece. The draft compensation changed the equation. One pick became the No. 58 selection in 2012, which the Timberwolves used on Robbie Hummel, while the conditional follow-up became the No. 59 asset in 2013 associated with Bojan Dubljevic. Minnesota effectively traded one end-of-rotation player for several low-cost chances to find usable value.
Hummel Supplied the Only Durable NBA Return From the Deal
The most useful outcome was Robbie Hummel. Basketball-Reference credits him with 98 games and nine starts for Minnesota across the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons after spending his first post-draft year in Spain. He averaged 3.9 points and 2.7 rebounds in a reserve role. Those numbers are modest, but they still represent tangible multi-season NBA production from a late second-round pick. Robert Vaden did not become an NBA contributor, while Dubljevic never played in the league.
Oklahoma City Got a Short Hayward Stint
Oklahoma City acquired Hayward as a depth option for a contender. He appeared in 26 regular-season games for the Thunder in 2011-12 and averaged fewer than six minutes per game, then played five postseason games during the run to the NBA Finals. The role had some immediate utility, especially compared with Vaden's lack of NBA minutes, but it was brief. Hayward was waived before the following season, so Oklahoma City did not receive a lasting rotation piece for the two draft assets it sent out.
The Wolves Edge Comes From Modest Value, Not a Hidden Jackpot
This transaction should not be inflated into a major win. Minnesota's best return was a useful reserve who played 98 games, while Oklahoma City received a fringe contributor for part of one season and a Finals run. Still, the Timberwolves created more realized value from the package and retained additional draft optionality. The canonical B+ for Minnesota and C+ for Oklahoma City are appropriately measured: neither side changed its franchise trajectory, but Minnesota converted a replaceable player into the better aggregate return.
Final Verdict
Wolves Win — Minnesota B+, Oklahoma City C+. Minnesota sent Lazar Hayward to the Thunder and received Robert Vaden plus second-round assets that produced Robbie Hummel and the rights associated with Bojan Dubljevic. Hummel later played 98 NBA games for the Timberwolves, giving Minnesota the transaction's most durable realized contribution. Hayward appeared in 26 regular-season games and five playoff games for Oklahoma City before his tenure ended. The gap is modest, but Minnesota extracted more useful value from a low-level exchange and deserves the higher grade.