Speculations have arisen that the Minnesota Timberwolves are willing to trade picks with the Los Angeles Lakers to acquire an extra asset, according to ESPN's Chad Ford. This is after Wolves' president and head coach Flip Saunders' has expressed interest in selecting Duke standout Jahlil Okafor over Kentucky's Karl-Anthony Towns in the upcoming 2015 NBA Draft later this month.

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Towns is allegedly the player that the Lakers want to pick. The 6-foot-11, 255-pound Wildcats power forward is said to be a match-up nightmare with his versatility, range, and shot-blocking abilities, things that the Lakers have been missing from their big men in the past few years. Dwight Howard is supposed to bring these qualities to the table when the team traded for him in 2012, but his attitude and ability to work well with resident superstar Kobe Bryant made his stint in L.A. forgettable.

Lakers coach Byron Scott reportedly plans to pair Towns with virtual rookie Julius Randle to head the team's young frontcourt together with either Wesley Johnson or Jordan Hill. If this happens, the Lakers would have one of the most athletic frontlines in the NBA, which would bring a huge smile on Kobe's face.

Because of Towns superior skills and athleticism over Okafor, most mock drafts are banking that Minnesota is going to use their top pick to get the former, leaving the Lakers with Okafor or the other top rookie candidates like D'Angelo Russell, Emmanuel Mudiay, and Willie Trill Cauley-Stein.

According to HNGN's Jordan Webb, if the Wolves select Towns at no. 1, the Lakers are still undecided amongst Okafor, Russell, and Mudiay. Although, most probably it would be Okafor who will have Scott's nod.

However, since rumors went out that the Wolves are okay with Okafor, they might be willing to trade their no.1 pick for the Lakers' no. 2 pick in exchange for a veteran player. The premise is that if the Lakers pick first then Towns will surely be their guy, while the Wolves get what they want as well in Okafor, plus an additional asset.

This scenario is highly unlikely, though, as basketball pundits confer that the Wolves doesn't need a bonus player and should just select who they want to at no. 1.

Moreover, Bleacher Report's David Murphy wrote that the Lakers may be open in selecting Okafor at no. 2 as well. The 6-foot-11, 271-pound pure center is not as skilled as Towns but has a body and back-to-the-basket game that is NBA-ready, something that is said to be the perfect complement for Randle at power forward.

Either way, it would be good news for Lakers fans as their team is actually choosing between two potentially franchise-changing picks.

TagsNBA 2015, NBA news, NBA News 2015, NBA rumors, NBA Rumors 2015, Minnesota Timberwolves, Los Angeles Lakers, Karl-Anthony Towns, Jahlil Okafor