Jimmy Butler has been the biggest name in trade speculation over recent weeks, having been most strongly linked to a move to the Golden State Warriors ahead of the February 6 deadline.
The 6x All-Star has missed the Miami Heat's last two games including Monday's win over the Brooklyn Nets, but the bigger update on Butler may have come in regard to his future with the franchise and a potential trade in the coming weeks.
The Warriors chances of trading for Jimmy Butler appears slim
According to ESPN's Bobby Marks on Monday, there is an overwhelming belief that Butler will remain with the Heat beyond the deadline before having to choose whether or not to pick up his $52.4 million player option for next season.
"As for Butler's future, there is a growing consensus among the teams I talked to that unless the six-time All-Star becomes a distraction, or the Heat receive a trade offer they cannot turn down, Butler will be on the Heat's roster once the deadline passes," Marks wrote.
After failing to execute trades for Paul George and Lauri Markkanen during the offseason, Butler might become the latest star to be strongly linked to the Warriors without actually making it to the Bay Area.
Aside from Butler and the constant suggestions of whether LeBron James would want to team up with Stephen Curry following their Olympic heroics, there doesn't appear to be any other star-level trades that will materialize prior to the deadline.
If anything this latest Butler report should provide further clarity on what the Warriors need to do next after trading for Dennis Schroder less than 10 days ago. Rather than holding out hope for Butler or another star to become available, the more obvious move might be for Golden State to address their front court situation and specifically adding a stretch big to the equation.
The Warriors have been linked to Chicago Bulls center Nikola Vucevic, with the 2x All-Star at a $20 million price point that means the Warriors could acquire him without giving up starting small forward Andrew Wiggins.
Golden State fell to the Indiana Pacers at Chase Center on Monday night, with Myles Turner going for 23 points and 10 rebounds in his team's 111-105 victory. Turner is someone who has been linked to the Warriors in the past, but there's no strong indication that he's available to anywhere near the same extent as Vucevic.
The Warriors could also reconvene with the Brooklyn Nets on a Cam Johnson trade, though that wouldn't necessarily fill the same need as helpful as it may be.