The Boston Celtics is reportedly still in pursuit of Chicago Bulls shooting guard Jimmy Butler and even willing to give up Avery Bradley and Amir Johnson to pull off the trade.

Boston has been targeting Butler since the end of last season when a deal with Chicago was almost reached.

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Sportsrageous indicated that the two-time NBA All-Star "was almost acquired by the Celtics prior to June's NBA Draft." However, the Bulls asked for a package that would include Avery Bradley, Jae Crowder, and other reserve players plus this year's third overall pick, which turned out to be California's Jaylen Brown, and the deal was called off.

Rumors further suggested that Celtics and Bulls are not done talking yet, but a trade involving Butler and Bradley could eventually be made before next year's February deadline.

Morning News USA, meanwhile, mentioned a deal that would send Butler to the Celtics for Bradley, power forward Amir Johnson, the 2017 Brooklyn Nets first-round draft pick that Boston has swapped rights with, and another future first-round selection.

Should the Bulls' experiment of having Butler play alongside Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo fail, it is expected that said trade scenario will take place by midseason.

Loooking closely at it, it can be surmised that Bulls is not yet set to gain anything from the trade as neither Bradley nor Johnson could answer any of the team's current roster needs. Chicago would even have a glaring hole at the small forward spot if Butler leaves.

There are speculations, too, that Chicago may be after the two highly-valuable future first-round picks which the team can use to start a full rebuild.

At this point, it remains to be seen whether Butler can successfully co-exist with Wade and Rondo, NBA veterans who also need the ball in their hands to become effective. It would be interesting to see how head coach Fred Hoiberg will balance the usage rate of these three players and keep them happy as the season moves forward.

TagsNBA Trade Rumors, NBA Trade Rumors 2016, Jimmy Butler, Chicago Bulls, Boston Celtics