3) Why Chicago Bulls could make sense for Harden
Rockets shouldn’t miss a chance to proficiently rebuild
If there’s little to no chance that the Rockets are going to hang onto a happy Harden over the long haul, then it makes a lot of sense for them to go ahead and trade him and Russ now. And teams that are already reportedly mentioned in connection with a Harden trade, like the Nets and Sixers, don’t present as many assets in a deal to help the Rockets rebuild.
This point on the list isn’t so much why Harden would fit well with the Bulls, but why the Rockets would benefit in this hypothetically situation. There really is a lot that the Bulls could, and should be, willing to give up if there was any ability to get involved in the Harden trade discussion. They’ve assembled a solid young core and hold a plethora of draft capital.
Two players that the Bulls could potentially use to get involved in trade talks with the Rockets for Harden are the 25-year-old 6-foot-6 shooting guard Zach LaVine and the fourth-year former Arizona Wildcats power forward Lauri Markkanen. The Bulls could also toss names like center Wendell Carter Jr., power forward/center Daniel Gafford, and Chandler Hutchison, into trade discussions if they appeal to the Rockets.
Namely LaVine and Markkanen could use a change of scenery to find a new contender status out in the Western Conference. Those two have been the subject of plenty of trade discussions around various fan circles so far during the Bulls offseason. Making the best use out of them could be trading them for a bona fide superstar like Harden.