2012 NBA Trade Rumors: Pau Gasol Would Make Minnesota a Playoff Team

Pau Gasol is on the trade block, again.

As the Lakers try to deal for Dwight Howard, it makes sense for them to also look to ship Gasol out of town. Gasol is a versatile big man, and is definitely comfortable playing away from the rim. Let's not get too carried away though.

Gasol is a center. Gasol needs to play in the paint to be truly effective.

The Lakers have tried to play Gasol at power forward for the last couple of seasons, with disastrous results. Remember Gasol trying to cover Dirk Nowitzki at the three-point line two years ago? Yeah, it wasn't pretty.

Whether or not the they land Howard, it's time for the Lakers to trade for Pau Gasol. The team that makes the most sense, and is often rumored to be interested in Gasol, is the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Wolves should aggressively pursue this deal. If they land Gasol, they will be a playoff team for the foreseeable future. Today, I'll explain how close Minnesota is to being a very good basketball team.

A Look at Minnesota's Roster

Remember when the Wolves kept picking point guards? Then it seemed like they couldn't get enough power forwards on their roster? Well, the Wolves don't really have any starting caliber small forwards or shooting guards as a result.

In the end, in a strange way, that strategy might actually pay off.

The Wolves have three good point guards on the roster in J.J. Barea, Luke Ridenour and Ricky Rubio. They also have several talented big bodies with Derrick Williams, Kevin Love, Michael Beasley, Anthony Randolph, Nikola Pekovic and Darko Milicic all in the mix.

Could the Wolves flip some of these assets for a small forward or shooting guard? Can they somehow put a package together that might convince the Lakers to trade Gasol?

I think they can, and I'll show you how.

Filling the Hole at Small Forward

The Wolves have signed Nicolas Batum, the 23-year-old small forward from the Portland Trailblazers, to an offer sheet. Batum is a restricted free agent, meaning Portland could match the offer. But it's unlikely that they'll do so.

Portland offered a max offer sheet to Indiana center Roy Hibbert, meaning they probably won't be inclined to match Minnesota's offer for Batum. However, it's possible that Indiana will match Hibbert's offer sheet, as Hibbert is also a restricted free agent.

When all the dust settles, expect Batum to be playing in Minnesota next season. This will be a terrific addition to their roster, as Batum is exactly what the Wolves need at the position. Batum is a 37.7 percent three point shooter, and he also averaged a career-high 13.9 points per game last season.

Expect those numbers to go up for Batum, as he only played 30 minutes per game On top of that, he was on a bad team. Batum is a very talented player, and with regular minutes on a team with players like Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio, Batum could easily put up 16 points and 6-7 rebounds per game while shooting over 40 percent from the three-point line.

Trading for a Shooting Guard

The Wolves have three point guards. But one of them, Ricky Rubio, isn't going anywhere. That leaves them with two valuable trade chips in Luke Ridnour and J.J. Barea.

Ridnour averaged 12.1 points and 4.8 assists per game last season. He could start for a handful of teams, but would probably be better as a super sixth man. Barea averaged 11.3 points and 5.7 assists per game, and as we all know, he is like a bolt of lightning coming off the bench. There is no doubt that Barea could be a difference-maker off of the bench for a contenting team, as he was a vital part of the Dallas Mavericks' 2011 NBA Championship.

What the Wolves need to do now is flip one of these players for a competent shooting guard. The best shooting guard on the Wolves roster, Wesley Johnson, averaged six points per game and only shot 31.4 percent from the three-point line last season.

I've got three players in mind to replace Johnson as the starter.

1. J.J. Reddick, Orlando—The Magic are cleaning house, and Reddick is in the last year of his deal. He averages 11.6 points per game on 41.8 percent three-point shooting. He isn't a star, but he would be a massive upgrade for the Wolves. His salary ($6 million) lines up with Ridnour's ($4 million) or Barea's (right at $4.5 million).

2. Marco Belinelli, New Orleans—The Hornets have Eric Gordon at shooting guard, and they just drafted Austin Rivers, who will play some point, but is also really a shooting guard. Belinelli put up good numbers (11.8 points, 37.7 percent three point shooting) last year while Gordon missed most of the season. This is a team that really needs a decent point guard. I'd call them to check on Belinelli's availability.

3. Jordan Crawford, Washington—Crawford can really score, having averaged 14.7 points per game last season. He isn't a great shooter (28.9 percent three point shooting), but he would provide a serious upgrade in athleticism for the Wolves on the perimeter, and he would really flourish in the open court with a passer like Rubio.

Crawford is expendable now that the Wizards have drafted Bradley Beal with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft. Washington might not want a point guard, since they have John Wall. But they might be interested in one of the big guys on the roster (Anthony Randolph) to help their depth up front.

A Deal with the Lakers

Pau Gasol is due to make $19 million next year. So understand the economics of this deal before we even start talking about a trade. The Wolves are going to have to get creative to put enough salary on the table to make a deal for Gasol.

The Lakers have a ton of holes to fill also. They need a point guard, they could really use a small forward and if they are trading Gasol, of course they're going to need a power forward. Even if the Lakers do land Dwight Howard in a trade, their roster is shockingly thin and lacking athletes.

So it makes sense for them to try to flip Gasol for multiple players that could fill some of their roster needs.

Derrick Williams, the No. 2 pick in last year's draft, would be the first piece in any deal. Williams is only 21 years old, and he might end up being a star. The Wolves could use Williams, who plays the same position as their best player, Kevin Love, to land Gasol. Williams only makes $5 million next season, so we still have to throw in some other players to make this work.

Next up, throw in Darko Milicic ($5.2 million) and Wesley Johnson ($4.3 million). Milicic, a huge draft bust, is actually a decent backup center, and would provide value backing up Dwight Howard. Johnson isn't a starting 2-guard, but that's okay because the Lakers have Kobe Bryant. Johnson (6'7", 215 pounds) can also play small forward, and would be a really good player filling in as a hybrid guard/forward coming off the bench.

To make this deal work, the Wolves might have to throw in a draft pick. Since they'll make the playoffs, it wouldn't hurt them at all to throw in a 2015 first-rounder. That pick will be in the early to mid-20s, and is easily worth giving up if it means the Wolves land Gasol.  

Add It Up, and the Wolves Are a Playoff Team

The Wolves' eight-man rotation would look like this (Player Efficiency Rating):

Rubio (14.6), Belinelli (12.0), Batum (17.3), Love (25.4), Gasol (20.5), Barea (14.9), Buddinger (14.9), and Pekovic (21.5).

This is a versatile lineup with Gasol, Love and Pekovic basically being interchangeable parts. The same could be said for Belinelli, Batum and Buddinger. The thing that jumps off the page is the three-point shooting prowess of this group, with Belinelli, Batum, Love and Buddinger all being terrific shooters.

Meanwhile, think about the eight-man rotation the Lakers would have. It's vastly improved with a core featuring Kobe Bryant, Derrick Williams and Dwight Howard. The Lakers would be younger, more athletic and most importantly, deeper.

The top five teams in the West would be set with the Thunder, Spurs, Lakers, Clippers and Grizzlies all having very strong teams. After those five teams, I truly believe the Wolves could compete with the likes of Denver, Utah, Portland, Houston and Golden State for the final three playoff spots.

Think about it this way: Oklahoma City's eight-man playoff rotation had a combined PER around 128 last season. The Heat's eight-man playoff rotation had a combined PER of 129.

On paper, the Wolves would have a PER of over 141. I know, some players (Pekovic) would see a dip in production because they would no longer be starting. However, other players would also see a slight increase in production because of increased minutes (Batum) or being placed in the proper role (Gasol).

The Wolves would make the playoffs. The Lakers would be a much better team. This is a rare win-win trade in the NBA. The Lakers and Wolves should pull the trigger on this immediately.