Minnesota mulls dealing Garnett to Los Angeles

Minnesota would likely get Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum in return.

LOS ANGELES TIMES

LOS ANGELES — The owners of the Los Angeles Lakers and Minnesota Timberwolves have begun talks for a trade that would involve sending Kevin Garnett to the Lakers, NBA sources said Monday.

A multi-team trade discussion is under way involving the Lakers, Timberwolves, Indiana Pacers and possibly a fourth team, with the Lakers getting Garnett and the Pacers getting Lamar Odom and teenage center Andrew Bynum from the Lakers. Another minor player will probably be added to make the deal work financially.

Another source said the Lakers are dealing directly with Minnesota in a swap that would not necessarily involve other teams.

Jerry Buss and Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor spoke by phone for 20 minutes Friday. Buss reportedly ended the conversation by suggesting that Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak and Timberwolves vice president of basketball operations Kevin McHale would continue the discussion Monday.

Such a move could address the concerns of Kobe Bryant, who has demanded to be traded for more than four weeks.

Bryant met with Kupchak for about an hour Friday, a day after Garnett rejected a trade that would have sent him to the Boston Celtics.

Bryant did not step down from his desire to be traded. However, Kupchak, Buss and Lakers Coach Phil Jackson met later that day to discuss options based on the assumption they would still have Bryant.

Diamond in the rough

Garnett, 31, has never formally asked for a trade while signaling his distress in recent years as the Timberwolves fell from top-notch status. Minnesota, the No. 1-seeded team in the Western Conference in 2004, lost to the Lakers in the West finals and hasn’t made the playoffs since then.

The Timberwolves finished 33-49 in 2005-06 and 32-50 last season, tied for 12th in the West with the Portland Trail Blazers.

Garnett, whose nickname is “Big Ticket,” can opt out of his contract after next season. He wants an extension, which Buss reportedly told Taylor he was willing to offer. Garnett is due to earn $22 million next season and $23 million in 2008-09, the last year of his contract.

Garnett, a 10-time All-Star, averaged 22.4 points, 12.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.7 blocked shots last season while showing few signs of slowing down, other than spending the last five games of the season in Los Angeles — he has a home in Malibu — to rest a sore right quadriceps.

Bynum, 19, started his second NBA season with a flurry, including a memorable game against Minnesota in November in which he had 20 points, 14 rebounds and three blocked shots.

But Bynum struggled during the second half of the season and finished with averages of 7.8 points and 5.9 rebounds a game. The Lakers have been criticized by Bryant for not trading Bynum at the February trade deadline to get Jason Kidd from the New Jersey Nets.

Odom, 27, was acquired three years ago as part of the trade that sent Shaquille O’Neal to the Miami Heat.

Odom averaged 15.9 points, 9.8 rebounds and 4.8 assists last season and missed 26 games because of knee and shoulder injuries. He had a torn labrum in his left shoulder repaired last month and is expected to return in time for training camp in October.