Lakers Trade Rumors: Why Trading Pau Gasol Makes Lakers Better Long Term

Though the rumored trade of Pau Gasol to the Minnesota Timberwolves may sound lopsided in favor of the Wolves, it makes the Lakers better in the long run.

Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports reported on the potential Gasol move to Minny:

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A source said Wednesday that Minnesota continues to pursue a possible trade for Lakers forward Pau Gasol, dangling rookie Derrick Williams, who is from the Los Angeles area, and draft choices. The only players considered untouchable by the Timberwolves, who are seeking to add a veteran by the trade deadline, are Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio.

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The Lakers are a good team this year, but they are not a championship-level team. Kobe Bryant will gut it out and keep the Lakers competitive, but they won't beat the best teams in the West come playoff time.

That said, Pau Gasol is set to make $19 million-plus per year for the next two seasons. That is a ton of cash invested in a 31-year-old power forward. Gasol is one of the game's elite big men, but with him, the Lakers aren't good enough to win it all right now.

They are currently 18-12, and an abysmal 5-10 on the road. That doesn't scream championship contender. Plus, there is no one player(s) on the horizon that will drastically change what the Lakers are destined for, which is a first- or second-round exit, at best.

Keeping Gasol handicaps the Lakers from pursuing the wing players and point guard they need to pair with Kobe and the center they plan to build around.

He also isn't the ideal power forward to play alongside a dominant presence in the middle, and that is the direction the Lakers are headed. If they retain Andrew Bynum, or are successful in their pursuit of Dwight Howard, there will be a significant presence at center.

Of the two years the Lakers won championships in Gasol's time with team, Gasol was the dominant presence in the middle.

Bynum never played significant minutes. Bynum played 21 minutes per game in the two title years, and he averaged 7.5 points and five rebounds in the playoffs for those two seasons.

Bynum isn't that guy anymore; he's the second-best center in the NBA. combine that with the fact that he's seven years younger than Gasol, that makes Bynum the smart choice, even if LA doesn't land Howard.

Moving Gasol could provide wing players, perimeter defenders and, most of all, youth to a team that desperately needs all of the above.

The key to the deal for the Lakers should be Derrick Williams. He is for real, and he just needs the right opportunity to truly blossom. He is stuck in a weird rotation behind Kevin Love and Wesley Johnson, and he's averaging 7.4 points per game, playing only 18 minutes per night.

I see him as the eventual starter at small forward for the Lakers. He would provide a slashing, active body on the wing for Kobe Bryant in the short term and Bynum or Howard for the long haul.

If Michael Beasley and Luke Ridnour are included, the Lakers will be more balanced this year as well. Ridnour is an upgrade at point guard, Beasley would start at small forward for now, until Williams is ready. Overall, it would give the Lakers experienced depth.

The salaries match up for now, but Ridnour and Beasley's contracts give the Lakers more flexibility. Ridnour's deal maxes out at $4.3 million, while Beasley is going to be a restricted free agent after this season. It could essentially result in cap room for the Lakers this offseason.

The Wolves are one of the few teams with cap room to absorb a huge contract like Gasol's, and they seem to be willing.

It's time the Lakers looked to the future, and this potential deal is a beginning.