Jimmy Butler

Chicago Bulls forward Jimmy Butler brings the ball up court against the Charlotte Hornets during the second half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Jan. 2, 2017, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Kamil Krzaczynski)

(Kamil Krzaczynski)

After a report from Bleacher Report's Ric Bucher surfaced that the Chicago Bulls are "listening" to offers on superstar wing Jimmy Butler, speculation ran rampant about potential packages that could bring in one of the 10-20 best players in the league.

Speaking on the Lowe Post podcast, ESPN NBA reporter Zach Lowe -- who is one of the best-informed basketball thinkers in the media -- said his theory is that Butler is indeed gettable, and he mentioned the Boston Celtics specifically as a destination.

The price would be hefty, though. Here's Lowe:

I don't think there's much real happening with Jimmy Butler. My theory -- and you could speak to this too, Kevin (Arnovitz) -- I think they want to see if they can get the Nets pick from Boston. I think this is all just like, "Let's throw it out and see if we get just Smart, Crowder, the Nets pick and if we can get that, then we're talking." If we can't get that, then we're not talking. I think Jimmy Butler is gettable. ... I think Jimmy Butler is gettable, and it just has to be an absolutely monstrous offer, and we're gonna have this happen once every three months, like "Nets pick? Nets pick? Nets pick?"

The 2017 and 2018 Brooklyn Nets draft picks (the Celtics swap picks with Brooklyn in 2017 and own their 2018 pick completely unprotected) remain some of the best potential trade assets in the league, so it makes sense that the Bulls would require one to even think about dealing Butler. After all, building around a player that might be a top-10 star in the league is a reasonable strategy, and if the Bulls can't get a top-of-the-line offer, they have no real reason to move him.

That price would be hefty for Boston though, and not just because of the picks (we will get to those in a minute). Smart and Crowder are both very valuable players who help give the team its identity -- an identity that Butler would certainly add to, if he joined the squad. The Celtics are known as a tough, defensive-minded team, and while they haven't always embodied that reputation so far this season, they seem to be getting back to that style over the last few weeks.

Butler, however, is having an absolutely unbelievable season. Averaging just over 25 points per game and just under seven rebounds, it's worth wondering how good Butler could be if he was surrounded with pieces that make sense (for example: Pieces that are not aging Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo). He's super athletic, creative as a slasher and extra dangerous in transition. He's also getting to the line almost 10 times per game, making 88 percent of his attempts. Add all that to his high-intensity defense, and its easy to see why the Celtics might covet him.

Looking purely at Lowe's potential package (which was just a theory, to be clear, but Lowe's theories are generally very good), the Celtics would maintain the bulk of their current core, simply swapping out Crowder for Butler. Butler is an improvement over Crowder, and he would get plenty of opportunities playing next to Thomas, who draws considerably more defensive attention than Derrick Rose or Rondo has in the last year or two. In addition, Butler would give the Celtics even more solid rebounding from the wings to go along with Bradley -- perhaps not enough to totally fix the issues, but enough to assuage the hit Boston takes a little.

For the Celtics, however, everything comes back to Cleveland. Does swapping Crowder for Butler (with the added hit of losing Smart) make Boston a legitimate contender in an Eastern Conference where the Cavaliers just added Kyle Korver? It's difficult to say. Crowder and Smart both do a lot of great things for this team, and while Butler is a real star, LeBron James is still so formidable, Cleveland would still certainly be the favorites. Is potentially acquiring a mere puncher's chance worth a pick as valuable as the Nets'?

That might be a moot point. Butler is so good that Chicago might simply decide to keep and build around him, eliminating the question completely. But if the rumors keep popping up as the trade deadline approaches, and if the Celtics keep winning at their current rate, Ainge is going to have some difficult -- if enviable -- decisions to make before February 23.