If the rumors about James Harden wanting out of Houston are true, could the Minnesota Timberwolves act as a third party to facilitate a trade?
As the 2020 NBA Draft approaches, trade rumors are beginning to heat up. Even if they aren’t the main beneficiaries of a trade, could the Minnesota Timberwolves get involved in some way?
The biggest rumor to come out this week involved the Houston Rockets, with James Harden reportedly requesting a trade to a contender.
Shams Charania of The Athletic is reporting that Harden’s preferred trade destinations are Philadelphia and Brooklyn.
Rockets star James Harden wants to be on a contender elsewhere, and Brooklyn and Philadelphia are believed to be his top desired trade destinations, sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) November 16, 2020
Houston is fully comfortable keeping Harden and Russell Westbrook into the season.
ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski also reported that Harden wants out of Houston, but claimed that Harden wants to be traded to Brooklyn, specifically.
Sources: After turning down an extension offer to become the first $50M a year player in league history, James Harden’s message to Houston is clear: Get me to Brooklyn. Rockets and Nets have been in contact, but there’s been no meaningful dialogue. https://t.co/qwJOQOxz5U
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 17, 2020
If these rumors are true, trading Harden will be no small task for Houston or any suitor in the NBA.
Harden is scheduled to earn just over $40 million next season, which would be difficult for just about any team to make happen in a single, two-team trade. However, involving a third team could help facilitate a trade of this magnitude by involving a third set of assets to relieve the burden on the other two teams in the trade.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are likely to be active in the next few days as they hold the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. They also hold pick Nos. 17 and 33 in the draft, and Gersson Rosas has shown in his brief time in Minnesota that he is not afraid to be aggressive in the trade market, especially after nearly turning over the entire roster at the February 2020 trade deadline.
On top of Rosas’ history and relationships with the Rockets organization, the Wolves’ history of aggression makes them a prime candidate for a third party to facilitate a large trade such as a potential James Harden trade.
Though the Wolves aren’t candidates in the James Harden sweepstakes, let’s take a look at some potential James Harden trades that could involve the Timberwolves.
Because Harden has been linked to both Philadelphia and Brooklyn, but more heavily linked with Brooklyn, we’ll look at three trades: one with Philly and two with Brooklyn. All trades are trade-machine-approved.