NBA trade deadline: Latest news and updates after the buzzer sounds

The Los Angeles Lakers haven’t attached a timeline to when LeBron James will return from right foot injury. However, speaking ahead of Sunday’s game, Darvin Ham gave the most positive update yet on where James is at.

“We anticipate him coming back at some point (this season),” Ham said.

James himself recently posted a positive update to social media. He tagged a picture of his feet with a caption that read “recharging” with a photo of a battery at nearly full charge.

James has been out since injury his right foot on February 26 in a win over the Dallas Mavericks. Los Angeles has gone 5-5 without James in the lineup over the last three weeks. The Lakers enter Sunday’s contest a half-game out of the 10 seed, which is the final spot in the Western Conference Play-In Tournament.

Jimmy Butler had a face-to-face meeting last week with Pat Riley and reiterated his desire to be traded. Butler added that he will not sign a new contract with the Heat and intends to only use his $52 million player option for 25-26 as a trade maneuver.

Butler’s seven-game suspension ends on Thursday. The Heat are faced with a decision on how to move forward with Butler with either him returning to the roster or a trade. Heat officials will meet later this week to discuss next steps.

The Heat have engaged with multiple teams on Butler trade scenarios and have received offers but have been hesitant to negotiate further. Butler prefers a trade to the Phoenix Suns, Golden State Warriors, Dallas Mavericks or Houston Rockets.

Butler’s decision to request a trade was in part due to an implication from team officials that he hadn’t played his hardest in the Heat’s victory over the Pelicans on New Year’s Day.