NBA Trade Rumors: Predicting 9 Stars Houston Rockets would trade their young core for
Jaylen Brown or Jayson Tatum
Because of the overlapping between the two players, I thought it was only natural to have Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum discussed in the same section. Both players have developed into foundational pieces for the Boston Celtics over the last few years and after winning the MVP of the NBA Finals last year, I don't think these two players are that incomparable. To begin, let's discuss Brown, who many believe to be the lesser player of the two. Even though Brown has not had the best start to the season, he's certainly a player the Rockets would be open to breaking up their core for.
Why Jaylen Brown would fit on the Houston Rockets
In a perfect world, Brown is essentially the player that Houston would want Jalen Green to develop into at his ceiling. However, that ship has pretty much sailed at this point. Green has the potential to be as talented as Brown is on the offensive end of the floor but leaves much to be desired as a defensive stopper. Brown is also a better playmaker than he gets credit for. At 28 years old, Brown still has 3-4 more prime years left in his game. He's a player that could significantly help expedite Houston's timeline.
Why Jayson Tatum would fit on the Houston Rockets
At times, it's easy to forget that Jayson Tatum is still just 26 years old. He's not even 30 yet and he's had quite the illustrious NBA career - and he's not even close to being done yet. For the Boston Celtics, Tatum was a complete game-changer for the franchise. The moment that Tatum began evolving into the superstar he is today is the moment that the Celtics emerged as a perennial championship contender in the Eastern Conference. After winning the championship last year, Tatum has to be considered a championship cornerstone type of asset.
If the Rockets would theoretically be looking for a superstar that would not only change the outlook for the franchise but also change the culture, it would be Tatum. The argument could be made that Tatum is almost the perfect target for Houston. He's in the early stages of his prime career and already has proven that he can win in the NBA Finals. There aren't many questions about Tatum when it comes to how great of a player he is at this point in his career.