Chicago Bulls: 3 possible James Harden trades with the Rockets

2) Chicago Bulls trades to get James Harden

The trade deal that could include the Bulls mortgaging a lot of their future to get Harden from the Rockets, but not give up any future draft picks, is shown here. At least if Harden doesn’t catapult the Bulls to the point of title contention immediately, the Bulls still have their future first round picks to work with.

The motivation for the Rockets to pull off this trade deal would be getting a plethora of young talent and a veteran forward in Thaddeus Young that could actually be a nice fit with them. Houston can always use added defense, and Young is a real force to be reckoned with off the bench on both ends of the floor.

Alongside Young, the Rockets also get former Duke Blue Devils center Wendell Carter Jr., LaVine, and Markkanen in the mix. WCJ, LaVine, and Markkanen, would all get the opportunity to shine with an organization that is much more adept to winning than the Bulls. In fact, the Rockets are the only team in the NBA that has made the playoffs in every season since the Harden trade with the Thunder first happened.

To match salaries in this trade package, the Rockets also send support pieces in wing Danuel House and shooting guard Ben McLemore to the Bulls. While those two might not be the most attractive players to add to the Bulls bench, at least they have proven winning experience playing alongside Harden in Houston.