Carmelo Anthony has made a bold Jimmy Butler to Los Angeles Lakers claim as a Miami Heat exit seems like only a matter of time.

Jimmy Butler is expected to play for Miami again Friday when it hosts the Denver Nuggets, a game that would be his first since the Heat confirmed that he wants a trade and that they are trying to accommodate that request.

NBA trade deadline is 15 days away, so we're right in the thick of when all the rumors around the league will start to pick up. Jimmy Butler is the most talked about trade piece right now, with the Phoenix Suns being eyed as the frontrunner to land him if a trade were to transpire.

It seems that the rumors the Los Angeles Lakers won’t make big moves before the NBA trade deadline have the team’s top stars concerned. Unlike many other offseasons, the Lakers front office chose not to make any major roster changes in the summer and instead went with a change at the top of their coaching staff.

The NBA trade deadline is in 15 days and the Los Angeles Lakers continue to be mired in mediocrity.At 23-18, the Lakers enter Wednesday in sixth place in the Western Conference and just one game ahead of the Dallas Mavericks (23-20) for the final non-Play-In Tournament spot in the playoff picture.