Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld reports that the Lakers and Minnesota T'Wolves have had discussions about sending big man Pau Gasol to Minnesota (where he'd be paired with rookie and fellow Spaniard PG Ricky Rubio) for a package consisting of former Bruin Kevin Love, formerly frosted tips draft bust Dark Milicic, and the #2 overall pick in the upcoming 2011 draft.
While losing Pau would be a tough pill to swallow, and this year's draft is not considered a very good one, a #2 overall pick paired with rebounding monster Kevin Love is an intriguing option that Lakers fans must at least consider before they toss it aside. The reality is that the trade is very unlikely to happen anyway because the upcoming NBA labor negotiations may impose a hard cap on the Lakers, in which case they may be forced to trade Pau at some later date for a lesser package, as his $16m contract would make it hard for them fill their other needs. Most likely, the core of Pau, Kobe, and Bynum will be together for the next few years and the Lakers will need to find skilled roll players to get back to the title game.
