The Los Angeles Lakers could be the surprise third team that helps the Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat agree on a Jimmy Butler trade.

Q: Would current offers duplicate what the Heat has already? The rumored swaps offer marginal upgrades over what’s in the development pipeline. Are Heat going to take Nikola Jovic, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Haywood Highsmith, Terry Rozier, Duncan Robinson, Alec Burks out of the rotation? Or stop developing Pelle Larsson? – Leonard, Charlotte.

If the Heat keeps Butler past Feb. 6 and he opts out, Miami could either use a $14 million midlevel exception and a $5.1 million bi-annual exception or use about $13 million in cap space (which swells to $23 million if Robinson is released early this summer).

Ira Winderman’s perspectives and other items of note from the Miami Heat’s Thursday night game against the Milwaukee Bucks.

The Heat are expected to suspend Butler for their next two games after he missed a team flight Wednesday, Shams Charania of ESPN reports.

We're two weeks away from the deadline, and new names who could have a market have emerged. But No. 1 remains the same.

Even as Jimmy Butler wants out, even as the Miami Heat want him out, the reality is that there might not be an easy out . . . as the NBA counts down to the 3 p.m. Feb. 6 NBA trading deadline. So as uncomfortable as those three games were over the past week,

SportsLine's model has simulated the Miami Heat vs. Milwaukee Bucks matchup 10,000 times and revealed its NBA picks for Thursday

The Knicks and Nuggets are surging, while the Warriors watch their window close. Meanwhile, the Cavs and Thunder have their business on lock.

As is tradition, we here at The Bounce hand out the highest honors when the regular season ends, but we also do so at midseason! Just so you know: The Bouncies are among basketball’s most prestigious awards — not just anybody can receive this honor.

The Miami Heat on Friday suspended forward Jimmy Butler seven games for “multiple instances of conduct detrimental to the team over the course of the season and particularly the last several weeks."