Chicago Bulls: 3 updated trades with Rockets for James Harden

James Harden, Chicago Bulls Mandatory Credit: Carmen Mandato/Pool Photo-USA TODAY Sports
James Harden, Chicago Bulls Mandatory Credit: Carmen Mandato/Pool Photo-USA TODAY Sports /
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James Harden, Chicago Bulls
James Harden, Chicago Bulls Mandatory Credit: Carmen Mandato/Pool Photo-USA TODAY Sports /

If there is still a chance that the Chicago Bulls could get superstar guard James Harden from the Houston Rockets, should they try to get it done?

It’s a commonly discussed subject of late that fans around the NBA landscape can’t seem to get away from at the outset of the 2020-21 regular season; concerning what is going on with the Houston Rockets and superstar guard James Harden. And you’d have to imagine with all that is going on with Harden of late that teams like the Brooklyn Nets and Miami Heat unsurprisingly got out of trade talks to land him from the Rockets. That could bring things down to teams like the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, and Golden State Warriors to the table now with the Rockets.

Granted any mentioning of a team like the Bulls and/or Knicks in trade speculation concerning Harden and the Rockets is all hypothetical at this moment.

Although ESPN’s Mike Greenberg did discuss earlier this month the possibility of five landing spots in a Harden trade. And one of those potential landing spots was the Warriors.

Moreover, with all of the problems that the Rockets and Harden are going through right now, it’s tough to see any clean trade emerging in the near future. According to a report from ESPN’s Tim Bontemps on the evening of Dec. 23, all that is going on with the Rockets right now has a lot to do with Harden’s volatility.

He was spotted going out without a mask within the past week, which violated the NBA COVID-19 protocols, thus getting him a fine of $50K. And the Rockets-Oklahoma City Thunder game originally scheduled for Dec. 23 had to be postponed since Houston didn’t have enough players available to get the game going.

It is important to note that the Harden trade rumors are still very much churning right now. Although this part of the report from ESPN’s Bontemps on Dec. 23 is very noteworthy.

"When asked if Harden’s behavior would be a red flag in trading for the former MVP, team executives told ESPN they thought it was selfish and reckless but would not prevent a deal."

Apparently there is still real trade value out there for Harden if the Rockets do decide to deal him in the near future. But maybe this is a situation where the Bulls could buy low on him early in the 2020-21 regular season.

With all of this in mind, here’s a look into three possible early season trades the Bulls could try to offer the Rockets for Harden.