How can the Clippers acquire Trae Young? A 3-for-1 trade proposal by US media: boosting offense when Harden is off the court

On January 7th Beijing time, as reported by US media HoopsHype, the Clippers are one of the teams keeping a close eye on Trae Young. The question is how the Clippers can acquire Trae Young; swapping Harden for him is indeed a bit wild, so CBS Sports proposed a more practical 3-for-1 deal as follows—

The Hawks receive: John Collins, Bogdan Bogdanović, Brook Lopez

The Clippers receive: Trae Young

For the Hawks, this trade doesn’t require giving up draft picks. Essentially, the team exchanges Trae Young for contracts that are about to expire, purely to clear salary cap space. The reunion with former players Collins and Bogdanović in the deal is just a pleasant bonus.

Looking at the Clippers’ current roster, adding Young seems to have limited short-term benefits. Young and Harden share very similar playing styles, both being high-usage guards with limited defensive impact. However, even at this stage in their careers, Harden edges Young in almost every aspect—his height and agility allow him to handle basic defensive duties; his shooting is more consistent; and his ability to draw fouls remains superior. These two players’ styles likely clash rather than complement each other.

That said, when Harden is off the court, the Clippers’ scoring drops by 15.5 points per 100 possessions. The team brought in Beal and Paul during the offseason to strengthen the bench offense, but now one is out for the season due to injury and the other was suddenly asked to leave late at night. Trae Young might just be the solution to this problem. Admittedly, acquiring him would create a shortage in the frontcourt, but the rise of young players like Niedbala and Kobe Sanders could compensate for this loss, at least until Derrick Jones Jr. returns from injury late in the season. Furthermore, the Clippers can still improve the roster through future trades.

However, the significance of this trade lies not in the 2025-2026 season but in the team’s future development. Both Harden and Leonard are approaching the end of their careers, and the Clippers are burdened with first-round draft pick debts for the next three years. On top of that, with Leonard under investigation for potential salary cap circumvention, the team might lose even more picks. They need a player who can bridge the team into a new era and at least maintain enough competitiveness to attract other star players. Trae Young might be that player. While he may not become the Clippers’ next championship centerpiece, he could help draw such a core talent to the team.

Additionally, bringing in Trae Young could strengthen the Clippers’ relationship with the CAA agency, one of the most influential agencies in the NBA. Both Paul and George are CAA clients, and their departures from the Clippers were less than ideal. Currently, Dunn is the only remaining CAA player on the team. If the Clippers acquire Trae Young and offer him a reasonable contract extension in the future, it could open new doors for the team’s player acquisition efforts moving forward.