The Los Angeles Lakers reportedly hope either to land Kansas center Joel Embiid in the 2014 NBA draft or to trade their No. 1 pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Kevin Love this summer.
"The dream scenarios are hitting the lottery for a healthy Joel Embiid, or trading their No. 1 pick to Minnesota for Kevin Love," Mark Heisler of Forbes wrote on Monday. "The Lakers will certainly make the offer; the Timberwolves might even go for it if Love, who's widely suspected of wanting to join the Lakes, tells the Wolves that he'll walk when his contract runs out in 2015, otherwise."
Embiid is considered a top pick in the draft. There are questions, however, about his health. A back injury forced the 7-footer to miss the final six games of the 2013 season, including two NCAA tournament games. He's also dealt with a knee injury.
Gregg Doyel of CBS Sports called the Cameroon native "the best prospect at center in nearly a decade," and if Embiid can stay healthy, he has the potential to become elite.
With the likes of Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker in the draft, it's unlikely Embiid would go first overall. Los Angeles, who has a 6.3 percent chance of winning the No. 1 pick, won't know their official selection number until the lottery on May 20.
If it's high enough, it could bait Minnesota into trading Love. The Timberwolves are reticent about dealing their All-Star before his contract expires in July 2015, and they reportedly believe they have a legitimate shot at re-signing him.
Los Angeles and New York are rumored to be destinations favored by Love. Another report indicated "everyone (in the league) knows" Love wants to play for the Lakers.
If Love wanted to go to New York, he would have to sit on his contract until it expires after next season, when the Knicks would have the cap room to sign him.
