Inside The Rockets

Should Rockets Trade With Bulls?

The Houston Rockets could make a trade with the Chicago Bulls.

Jeremy Brener

Nov 17, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0) passes the ball away from Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images
Nov 17, 2024; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bulls guard Coby White (0) passes the ball away from Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (4) during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images / Matt Marton-Imagn Images
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The NBA trade season is beginning to form and the Houston Rockets will likely be classified as buyers.

With the Rockets 14-6 through 20 games, they could look to add pieces via trade to improve the roster ahead of Feb. 6.

A team that could look to be a seller is the Chicago Bulls, according to NBA insider Jake Fischer.

"No surprise, then, that Bulls executives, according to league sources, have been messaging to rival front offices that they are willing to discuss the majority of their roster in trade talks leading up to the Feb. 6 trade deadline," Fischer wrote on The Stein Line. "Most notably, sources say, Chicago has expressed a desire to move LaVine, Vučević and Ball — who collectively command nearly $85 million in salary this season."

"Arturas is trying to drive up attention for all of his guys — he's smart," said one league figure with knowledge of the Bulls' thinking. "The fact they were willing to move DeMar and [Alex] Caruso [this past offseason], they're willing to move anybody [now]."

A player like Nikola Vucevic could bolster the center rotation and Lonzo Ball could make the defense even scarier, but the Rockets would have to sacrifice a young player or picks in order to make these trades happen.

It's up to general manager Rafael Stone to decide if that upgrade is worth it for the Rockets, but there's a chance he may want to see this full roster run its course for the season.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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