NBA trade proposal sends James Harden to Hawks, Trae Young to Clippers

This is the kind of trade idea that only exists on a whiteboard, a spreadsheet, or inside a Bleacher Report rabbit hole at two in the morning.

But here we are.

B/R’s Eric Pincus floated a blockbuster concept that would send James Harden to the Hawks and Trae Young to the Clippers, with a few familiar names tossed in for maximum chaos. Here it is:

Hawks receive

• James Harden
• Bradley Beal
• Chris Paul
• $4.6 million trade exception (via Trae Young)

Clippers receive

• Trae Young
• $5.4 million trade exception (via Bradley Beal)
• $2.3 million trade exception (via Chris Paul)

Yes, that is Harden, Beal, and Paul all changing addresses in the same deal. Yes, it requires multiple exceptions, approvals, waivers, and a collective bargaining agreement cheat code. And yes, that’s kind of the point.

Pincus laid out the mechanics in detail, including Harden needing to approve the move under the One-Year Bird rule and Atlanta staying under the luxury tax. On paper, it works. On sanity, that part is debatable.

From Atlanta’s side, the logic is simple enough. The Hawks have quietly made it known they’re open to listening on Young. Sources told Dallas Hoops Journal that Atlanta has been gathering intel for a while now, and the on-court results haven’t helped.

The Hawks are just 2-8 when Young plays, and he’s averaging 19.3 points and 8.9 assists on uneven efficiency.

For the Clippers, the appeal is equally obvious. Young is younger, locked into his prime, and theoretically better aligned with a reset button.

Harden, meanwhile, has been productive at 25.7 points and 8.0 assists per game, but sources have consistently said Los Angeles has resisted trade calls for him. That resistance could soften if things keep trending sideways.

Which brings us to the reality check.

This is not a report. This is not momentum. This is a math exercise with vibes.

Atlanta sits 10th in the East. The Clippers are 12th in the West. Both teams are searching for answers. Whether those answers involve swapping star guards, absorbing massive salaries, and trusting that “change for the sake of change” works out is another matter entirely.

Still, as hypotheticals go, this one checks the boxes: Big names, real contracts, league context, and just enough plausibility to make people argue about it.

Which, honestly, is exactly what it was designed to do.

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