NBA Trade Rumors: Newest Info on Ricky Rubio and More Players on Block

The trade deadline for the 2017 NBA season has nearly arrived. Any teams looking to make deals will have to do so before 3 p.m. ET on Thursday, February 23.

Of course, there is no shortage of teams attempting to make moves at this time of year. There are a number of teams looking to add a few final pieces for a postseason run, and just as many willing to sell off pieces in order to start building for the future.

The question is whether or not the right potential trade partners can find each other and come to an agreement before the deadline passes.

We're going to examine half of the equation here, taking a look at the latest on players who are known to be available on the market.

Timberwolves Could Deal Rubio

The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski reported last month that the Minnesota Timberwolves were "actively shopping" guard Ricky Rubio. Per Wojnarowski, the Timberwolves had floated offers involving Rubio and Shabazz Muhammad to several teams around the league.

With the deadline nearing, Minnesota may have honed in on two players that it would most like to acquire.

According to Ian Begley of ESPN.com, Minnesota is one of several teams looking into the possibility of acquiring New York Knicks point guard Derrick Rose.

"It is unclear what Minnesota would offer in a potential trade for Rose," Begley wrote. "Sources say the Timberwolves are motivated to trade veteran point guard Ricky Rubio, as team president and coach Thibodeau sees rookie Kris Dunn as the point guard of the future for Minnesota."

Rose isn't the only player the Timberwolves appear interested in acquiring. According to Sam Amico of AmicoHoops.net, the team is also interested in Iman Shumpert of the Cleveland Cavaliers:

Whether the Timberwolves end up with Rose, Shumpert or another player by Thursday, it appears they are prepared to move on from Rubio.

Butler May Not Go Anywhere

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It would probably take a lot for the Chicago Bulls to part ways with forward Jimmy Butler. However, the rumor mill surrounding him isn't going to quiet until after the deadline officially passes.

The latest rumors have Butler potentially going to Boston in order to make the Celtics a legitimate threat to Cleveland in the Eastern Conference. However, the longer the clock ticks, the more likely it appears Butler will stay put.

"Plenty can happen before Thursday's 2 p.m. [CST] trade deadline, but according to multiple sources, the Bulls and Celtics haven't held substantive talks about Butler since June, and Butler's camp is under the impression that the Bulls won't move the three-time All-Star this week," K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune wrote on Monday.

This doesn't mean that a team like the Celtics won't be able to swoop in with a deal the Bulls cannot pass up before the deadline. However, Chicago still has a shot at the postseason, and the team may be much more inclined to trade away another player before moving Butler.

"Obviously, Butler is the most attractive piece who would guarantee the biggest return by far, but Taj Gibson, Nikola Mirotic and Rajon Rondo could be dealt," Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times recently wrote. "Gibson and Mirotic will hit the free-agent market this summer, and Rondo hasn’t been happy with his backup role since the start of January."

It certainly feels like Butler is the one guy the Bulls would prefer to keep, even if the team is looking to sell off some pieces before the deadline.

Jazz Could Move Favors

DeMarcus Cousins might not be the only big man in the league being moved before the trade deadline. According to Zach Lowe of ESPN.com, the Utah Jazz are at least gauging interest in forward Derrick Favors.

"Utah's seriousness on Favors is unclear; they are mum as usual, and they don't want to weaken their team ahead of the playoffs with [Gordon] Hayward heading to free agency," Lowe wrote. "Favors is still an important player. They could be testing the market ahead of a trade around the draft."

It makes sense for the Jazz to poke around the league after the deal that sent Cousins to the New Orleans Pelicans. Bleacher Report's Ric Bucher reported that at least three other teams could have had Cousins but didn't grab him for various reasons:

One of these teams might be inclined to reach for Favors now that Cousins is off the table.

Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune reports that the Phoenix Suns are one team that has expressed interested in Favors to this point.

We'd expect the Jazz to hang onto Favors unless a deal comes along that bodes well for the team's future yet still allows Utah to remain a playoff contender.