Houston Rockets, Chicago Bulls Could Make Intriguing Trade Partners in Future

Could the Houston Rockets and Chicago Bulls be in for an in-season transaction next year?

Jan 10, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Houston Rockets guard Fred VanVleet (5) defends Chicago Bulls guard Zach LaVine (8) during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports / David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

The Houston Rockets should roll into the regular season with the core roster that they currently have. Sure, the blend of youth and veteran talents makes for an interesting rotation, but they should at least try.

The current roster deserves a chance, but that doesn't rule out a regular season trade, especially as Jalen Green and Alperen Sengun are both due for rookie contract extensions. If general manager Rafael Stone is going to lean into any particular direction, and in-season trade might be the way to go.

Could the Chicago Bulls be a potential trade partner for the Rockets? It's known Houston wants to make its way back into the postseason, and they might not be able to with their current squad. Natural development of their young core combined with their win-now talents might be able to do it, but it's far from guaranteed.

The Bulls are headed into a rebuild. DeMar DeRozan is now a member of the Sacramento Kings, leaving the organization in a position to shift toward a rebuild. They traded Alex Caruso for the upside of Josh Giddey.

Chicago still has winning players to part from, those being Lonzo Ball, Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic and more. With Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks on the Rockets' roster, adding one of those guys along with whatever is left of the young core after a trade could be a playoff-worthy squad.

However, the Rockets could target one underrated talent from Chicago. Coby White emerged a season ago, but there's a chance Houston could pry away his talents, offering Green and his star potential.

The Bulls would be able to pair Green with Giddey, continuing to move off of their current roster and usher in a new era. White is a better catch-and-shoot player with more efficiency and playmaking in comparison to Green.

A trade between the two sides would make sense if done right, but it's hard to imagine the two sides end up making any trade with each other. The most likely scenario is the Rockets ending up letting Green hit restricted free agency next offseason, allowing the market to determine itself.

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