NBA Trades: Houston Rockets into contention in spicy mock deal with the Nets and Jazz

One of the worst teams in the league over the last 3 years, the Houston Rockets made major strides this season. At one point, late in the year, they won 10 straight games and looked as though they might actually make the play-in tournament.

They came up just short, but their late-season success proves that they were on the right track. With another offseason to further develop their young players and add more veterans, they could be a playoff team next season if everything goes right.

They have two potential future All-Stars in Jalen Green and Alperin Sengun, both of whom played especially well this year. In fact, they may be key to helping the Rockets get back to title contention in the near future, either as potential building blocks or trade assets.

They will also have the third overall pick in this year's draft, giving them plenty to work with. On the other hand, the Brooklyn Nets don't have as optimistic of an outlook at the moment as the Rockets, with one borderline star and a mishmash of prospects and veterans.

Then there's the Utah Jazz, who have a solid mix of young players and veterans but don't yet have enough talent to make the playoffs. That leads us to a proposed trade that may help each team out in the long run. Next, we'll take a look at the potential swap.