The Miami Heat's trade rumors surrounding Jimmy Butler continue to dominate the NBA. However, the Heat are now frontrunners to acquire another star reportedly

Down five at the end of the second quarter, the Jazz now have the lead. A win is still up for grabs for either team after three quarters, but the Jazz are up 80-77 over the Heat. This match is far closer than the pair's previous matchup, which was decided by 36 points.

Before things really came to a head with Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat, team president Pat Riley sat down for a lengthy interview with Dan Le Batard. The episode, released on Thursday, includes Riley's answer to what he's learned and how things are different in the player empowerment era.

Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler might be more selective than he led people to believe as he attempts to engineer an exit from South Florida. NBA insider

For a long time, Butler was also linked with teams like the Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks, Houston Rockets, Brooklyn Nets and plenty of others. But those links are starting to fade away as the 35-year-old inches closer to the Miami exit door.

The Utah Jazz (9-26) welcome the Miami Heat (18-17) to Delta Center in Salt Lake City Thursday. Tip-off is set for 9 p.m. ET. Let's analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's NBA odds around the Heat vs. Jazz odds a

The Jazz don’t offer much resistance on defense, allowing 118.5 points per game, a Bottom-5 mark in the NBA. It’s been even worse during this home slide, if you can believe it, as Utah is giving up 120.6 points per game, with teams shooting 48.5% from the field and 36.7% from 3-point range.

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While the Miami Heat continue to look dreadful on the boards, it’s been defensive rebounding that has grown to be a particularly large issue. Opponents are corralling 12.7 offensive rebounds per 100 possessions over the last two weeks – up from 11.5 for the season – and that should put Trayce Jackson-Davis in the driver’s seat on Tuesday.

Jimmy Butler has been the talk of the NBA trade market, yet with the trade deadline approaching, the Heat star won't impact anything.

It certainly seems as though Jimmy Butler has his heart set on joining the Phoenix Suns. He wouldn't be the first recent superstar to prefer them as a destination. Chris Paul maneuvered his way to Phoenix when he was with the Oklahoma City Thunder.