NBA Rumors: Minnesota Timberwolves' Pursuit of Lakers' Pau Gasol Is Laughable

The Minnesota Timberwolves are still interested in acquiring Los Angeles Lakers forward Pau Gasol, a source told FOX Sports, and it's a move that has disaster written all over it for the T-Wolves.

Minnesota is dangling this year's second overall pick Derrick Williams and draft choices, but seems unwilling to part with franchise cornerstones Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio.

The Timberwolves tried to get Gasol at the NBA draft in exchange for the No. 2 pick, but the Lakers were not interested. Williams has had a good rookie season thus far, averaging about seven points and five rebounds per game in just under 19 minutes each night.

The Lakers, with an aging roster, are in win-now mode. The time to rebuild hasn't come yet, and giving up Gasol, who teams perfectly with center Andrew Bynum, would ruin L.A.'s chances of making a deep playoff run. 

The reason the Lakers are effective is because no team can match their two All-Star 7-footers in the paint, and breaking up this decided advantage they have over every team in the league doesn't seem like something L.A. would want to do.

But the move also makes zero sense for the Timberwolves. While Gasol may find playing with Spanish teammate Rubio exciting, the Lakers big man is 31 years old.

Minnesota needs to be developing young talent and not bringing in veteran players that cost young players in return. That strategy is counterproductive. The Timberwolves have to build their team chemistry with the players they have because their young core is a very promising one. Love, Rubio, Williams and Michael Beasley are four good young players the team needs to continue to develop.

If they were close to a championship, or maybe even a deep playoff run, giving up Gasol for a young player might make more sense in the short term, but for the future health of the franchise Gasol is not needed in Minnesota.

The Timberwolves cannot gain anything from acquiring Gasol. Giving up the future for a shot at a possible playoff berth would inevitably prolong their rebuilding mode, which is the last thing Minnesota fans want.

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