As we all know, trading season is finally starting to heat up. Now that the well-known December 15 date has passed, the Utah Jazz have more options with more players they can trade away and trade for.
The Jazz have plenty of players they can dangle to teams with playoff aspirations, and one of them is the Houston Rockets. The Rockets have been one of the NBA's pleasant surprises, as they are among the Western Conference's best teams record-wise.
So, it would be pretty easy to deduce that they want to add to their core in their hopes to letting their rivals know that they are a force to be reckoned with. The Jazz can help in that regard. Better yet, the Rockets have young players the Jazz might be willing to take a flyer on.
Bleacher Report's Greg Swartz floated Rockets youngster Cam Whitmore as a potential trade target for the Jazz. He explained how Whitmore appeals to Utah.
"Whitmore, 20, has spent most of the season in the G League, averaging 19.3 points on 40.7 percent shooting from three. He's a big wing who would find more playing time on a rebuilding Utah squad."
Since the Rockets are trending toward winning now, Whitmore might not have a long-term place on the team. The Jazz are rebuilding and will likely continue to do so for the next little while, and yet, they have tradeable veterans for whom they don't have long-term use.
Whitmore fitting better on the Jazz's timeline is the first reason why he makes sense as a trade target. As for the second...
The Jazz & the Rockets work as trade partners
Much to Vernon Maxwell's chagrin, the Jazz could absolutely help the Rockets in their quest for an extensive playoff run. Whitmore fits their timeline, and the Rockets need more help along the edges.
At first, it may seem like trading young players on inexpensive contracts for veterans on much more expensive contracts would seem hard. Lucky for Houston, they have plenty of veterans that are not used often - Jock Landale and Jeff Green - who could be used to match their contracts.
As far as who they would want, Houston's problem is halfcourt execution, which is why adding a scorer like Jordan Clarkson or Collin Sexton could help in that department. Clarkson might be easier to pry since the Jazz want to get rid of him more than they want to get rid of Clarkson.
It's likely the Rockets will try to make a bigger push for a bigger fish first before they try to get one of the Jazz's players. However, it's also likely a bigger fish may not be available for what they'd be willing to offer for the time being.
It's been confirmed that the Jazz are desperate to sell, and the Rockets have young players to dangle to improve their current roster. Who's to say they can't make a deal.