There are rumors that the Minnesota Timberwolves could trade Zach LaVine before the NBA's February trade deadline next year as head coach Tom Thibodeau is still looking for a winning formula.

Minnesota has been struggling to find wins so far this season despite a lineup loaded with young talents such as LaVine, Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns, Gorgui Dieng, Tyus Jones, and rookie Kris Dunn.

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The Wolves have lost seven of their last nine games and are currently third from the last place in the Western Conference standings with a 6-14 record.

This is reportedly irking Thibodeau as the former NBA Coach of the Year awardee recently told reporters that he is ready to trade one of his young stars for a proven veteran, preferably those who have played for him before.

Some of the names who are rumored to be in Thibodeau's wish list are the Los Angeles Lakers' Luol Deng, the New York Knicks' Joakim Noah, and the Chicago Bulls' Jimmy Butler and Taj Gibson.

Inquisitr reported that Thibodeau is looking at LaVine as his foremost potential trade piece and that the coach is planning to deal him in midseason. LaVine's youth, athleticism, and upside is reportedly attracting the interest of some teams, but the coach himself is reportedly not impressed by the 21-year-old combo guard.

"I don't get excited about stuff like that," Thibodeau said in response to a reporter asking about LaVine's spectacular dunk in Minnesota's 98-85 win over Phoenix on Nov. 25, as per Fox Sports.

"I get excited about stuff that wins, so I liked our defense. That's the important thing. I hope we can get to the point where we're talking about the things that go into winning and get away from the sideshows," Thibodeau added.

Thibodeau always had the reputation of a strict taskmaster even during his head coaching stint with the Chicago Bulls from 2010 to 2015 and it would not be surprising if he ends up trading some of his young stars for experienced role players who has earned his trust. 

TagsNBA Trade Rumors, NBA Trade Rumors 2016, Zach LaVine, Tom Thibodeau, Minnesota Timberwolves