Trade Idea: Rockets Deal Third Pick for Chicago Bulls Standout Defender

The Houston Rockets find themselves in an interesting situation ahead of June's 2024 NBA Draft. They've landed a top-four pick for the fourth consecutive year, thanks to the Brooklyn Nets, but have an abundance of young talent and are ready to win now.

The Rockets narrowly missed their goal of making the play-in tournament last season, despite posting a 41-41 record, as they finished with the 11th seed in the Western Conference. Adding another young, unproven player to the fold doesn't quite correlate with the franchise’s goal of winning immediately.

In fact, the Rockets would be hard-pressed to find significant playing time for a prospect-level player, which could be why we've heard Rockets General Manager Rafael Stone publicly express a willingness to part with the pick. Aaron Kellerstrass of Pippen Ain't Easy theorized a trade involving the Rockets and Chicago Bulls, which has the Rockets shipping away the third and 44th picks, in exchange for guard Alex Caruso and the Bulls' 11th pick.

“Should the Bulls really be trying to move up in what is mostly seen as a weak draft? Probably not, but if they are enamored with a particular prospect, they may be able to use Caruso’s expiring contract to get the 3rd pick from Houston, who is dying to make some win-now moves, not add more young players. If the Bulls get the sense that Caruso is not going to sign an extension, then they should trade him, as they risk losing him for nothing, which has been a common theme in Chicago."

This trade would be a major win for the Rockets, as they'd get an elite defender in Caruso, who is easily one of the best defenders at the guard position. It goes without saying that Rockets coach Ime Udoka would salivate at the potential of adding yet another all-league defender.

And Caruso is also a formidable long-range shooter (40.8 percent on 4.7 long-range attempts this season), who has underrated playmaking chops. Furthermore, the Rockets would still hold Chicago's lottery pick, which they could still use as yet another trade chip, if they choose to.

Or they could also draft a player of their liking from this year's draft class. Sure, the Rockets would surrender their second-round pick in this proposed deal, but those tend to be used as trade fodder more often than not. Especially based on the Rockets' history of dealing second-round draft capital.

If this deal is on the table, the Rockets would be wise to take it, even with the risk of losing Caruso to free agency in 2025.

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