NBA Trade Rumors: 5 non-contenders who should take a shot on James Harden

Houston Rockets James Harden (Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)
Houston Rockets James Harden (Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)
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NBA Minnesota Timberwolves
NBA Minnesota Timberwolves coach Ryan Saunders (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Minnesota Timberwolves

The Minnesota Timberwolves are one of the most intriguing teams that not only have enough assets to put together an attractive offer for Houston but would also have pieces left over that could help create quite the interesting team in the Western Conference.

The Wolves could create a package centered around Anthony Edwards and D’Angelo Russell, along with picks, and could land Harden and team him up with Karl-Anthony Towns. A Harden and Towns duo should be enough to be a playoff-caliber team, even if a deep (and improved) Western Conference.

Whether the Wolves would want to nix their rebuild plans for two years of Harden remains to be seen. Though, it could be something they explore if they’re not sold on their young pieces or the progression of the D’Angelo Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns duo.

Of course, that would seem unlikely considering Towns’ and Russell’s relationship, but it’s an idea that I’d love to see explored by Minnesota.