The Lakers, currently the fifth seed, are markedly a few pieces away from putting a scare in West powerhouses like the Thunder, Grizzlies and Nuggets.

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.