Speculations are out that the Chicago Bulls could steal Miami Heat small forward Gerald Green in free-agency this summer to prepare for a possible Jimmy Butler trade in the offseason.

The Bulls are at the no. 9 spot of the Eastern Conference standings, three games behind eight-seed Detroit Pistons, and are dangerously close to getting eliminated from the playoffs with only three games left in their current campaign.

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It definitely is not a successful first season for new Bulls head coach Fred Hoiberg and rumors abound that Chicago is set to undergo a major roster overhaul this summer.

Basketball Insiders' Steve Kyler reported that the first player the Bulls could trade may be shooting guard Jimmy Butler, who together with Derrick Rose has also had some recent injury issues.

Kyler said that Chicago may "turn to the trade market" in the summer to try and give Hoiberg "better fitting pieces" to make his system more efficient moving forward.

"There is no doubting that Butler may be the best trade chip the Bulls have and that if they want to seriously change the future of the team, moving Butler could and likely would return the biggest value," Kyler noted.

With that, Fansided indicated that the Bulls would most likely steal Green from Miami as the 30-year-old, nine-year veteran will be an unrestricted free agent this July.

The report said that while Green is already at an advanced age, his game "is still peaking" and when defenders "play passively and don't keep a hand in his face, Green can go bonkers on offense with above-the-rim lobs, raining threes on passive transition defenses and can play the passing lanes for run-out opportunities".

It was also mentioned that Green is an affordable option considering his current $1.3 million salary in Miami.

While Green may be a good gain for the Bulls, he is definitely not a long term solution if Butler indeed exits this summer.

TagsNBA Free-Agency Rumors, NBA Free-Agency Rumors 2016, Chicago Bulls, Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat, Gerald Green, Bulls rumors, Heat rumors