Chicago Bulls trade rumors: Butler may be traded if team struggles

Gearing up for the new NBA season, the Chicago Bulls are looking to rely on their core consisting of Jimmy Butler, Dwyane Wade and Rajon Rondo.

However, various reports have revealed that if things do not go accordingly, Butler may be on the trading block for the Illinois club.

Sportsrageous reported that Butler could be part of a big multi-team trade that would send stars moving around, especially if the Bulls struggle this season.

These reports say that Butler may end up with the Los Angeles Lakers, while the other team involved may be the New Orleans Pelicans.

The suggestion is that, after the trade, the Pelicans would acquire D'Angelo Russell, Brandon Ingram and Jose Calderon from the Lakers, while also picking up Nikola Mirotic and Bobby Portis of the Bulls.

Finally, the Bulls end up with Anthony Davis in this blockbuster trade.

This is incredible given that there are many marquee names in the mix that should make things very interesting.

For the Lakers, giving up much of their core for a relatively young and explosive guard in Butler could be a good investment, but they might be giving up too much for one star.

For the Pelicans, they are giving away their best asset for some good players. This might mean that the team is setting up for a rebuild, while the Bulls are looking to let go of the guard logjam and getting a superstar forward to help Wade and Rondo in the game.

This is a surprising rumor given the worth of Butler as he averaged a career high 20.9 points per game last year and is now a two-time All Star.

He is also in the second year of his five-year $95-million contract with the Bulls that makes him one of their biggest assets in the club. Instead of letting him go, the Bulls are more likely to build around him.