NBA trade proposal sends Clippers’ James Harden to Timberwolves, involves Nets

Every few weeks, the NBA gives us a trade idea loud enough to make you stop scrolling.

Eric Pincus of Bleacher Report delivered one of those this week, cooking up a three-team scenario that sends James Harden to the Timberwolves while the Clippers effectively hit the eject button on the whole season.

The framework goes like this:

Timberwolves get: James Harden, contract of Chris Paul, Jalen Wilson
Clippers get: Naz Reid, Mike Conley, Rob Dillingham, Joe Ingles, Tyrese Martin and a buffet of trade exceptions
Nets get: Brook Lopez, Kobe Brown, a 2027 Cavs second-round pick and roughly $8 million in cash

It’s the kind of trade proposal that reminds you that no matter how chaotic you think the Clippers already are at 6-18, someone out there believes they can get even louder.

Harden hasn’t asked out (not yet, anyway), but people around the league will tell you the vibes are trending toward “inevitable blow-up.” Los Angeles is listening on everyone not named… well, actually, they might be listening on everyone.

For Minnesota, this idea is basically an invitation to form a Big Three of Harden, Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle. And on paper, that’s a ton of playmaking and scoring for a team that’s been “itching to upgrade at point guard,” as Pincus put it.

Harden is 36, sure, but he’s also averaging 26.8 points and 8.3 assists on efficient splits. That’s not washed. That’s not close.

The Wolves have been to two straight Western Conference Finals. At some point, you wonder if they look at the standings, look at the West, and decide the missing ingredient is a grown-up shot creator alongside Edwards when the lights get hot.

Would they actually do it? Hard to say. Would the league watch every minute of Timberwolves games if Harden showed up? No doubt.

Minnesota is 15-8 and sitting sixth in the West. Reid can’t be moved until January 15, further adding to this hypothetical blockbuster.

But the way this season is trending, and with the Clippers starting to look like a clearance sale waiting to happen, ideas like this won’t be slowing down.