Timberwolves once again actively pursuing Pau Gasol trade, report says
Pau Gasol teaming with fellow Spaniard Ricky Rubio and also Kevin Love? Sounds good to the Timberwolves. But the key now is finding a way to convince those stingy Lakers to pull the trigger. From The AP:
The Wolves’ interest in Gasol has long been rumored, with the highly skilled big man considered an ideal fit for coach Rick Adelman’s corner offense, and the kind of playoff-tested veteran needed on one of the youngest rosters in the NBA. […]
[I]f they want to bring him in to play alongside Love in the frontcourt, it likely will come at a hefty price. Offering [Derrick] Williams, the second overall pick last season who showed promise and inconsistency in his rookie year, means the Wolves would be giving up on him after just one season. The 21-year-old Williams has plenty of potential to grow into the star that many projected when he entered the draft after his sophomore season at Arizona.
This wouldn’t be the first time the Wolves have reportedly offered Williams to the Lakers in a rumored Gasol swap, as Minnesota’s interest in Gasol apparently goes back to at least a year ago.
As part of their latest run for Gasol, the Timberwolves tried to turn Williams into the Bobcats’ second overall pick in Thursday’s draft, which would have been sent to Los Angeles in a possible Gasol deal. The Lakers had been reported as hoping to move into the top of the draft somehow in hopes of taking Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. MKG went to the Bobcats with that second pick.
However, the Lakers, for better or worse, reportedly expect to see an established, veteran player additionally sent along in any Gasol trade. The Timberwolves have a few players who fit that bill (namely J.J. Barea), but it’s unclear what type of interest the Lakers have in any of them.
Minnesota thinks it can make the moves necessary to maneuver its cap figures around for Gasol. But even before then, it still sounds like the Wolves have their work cut out for them.
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