Pau Gasol
Pau Gasol walks off the court after the Thunder eliminate the Lakers from the playoffs Reuters

The Cleveland Cavaliers have reportedly stayed in contact with the Los Angeles Lakers for a potential deal involving All-Star power forward Pau Gasol, a source close to situation reported on Wednesday.

The Cavs and the Lakers have already engaged in trade talks several weeks ago on the possibility of swapping Gasol for Andrew Bynum before Cleveland decided to trade their disgruntled center in exchange for All-Star small forward Luol Deng.

But with the Suns backing out from their trade negotiation with the Lakers, the Cavaliers re-emerges as possible trade partners for the purple-and-gold franchise as they plan to create enough cap space and receive assets in exchange for the Spaniard.

According to reports, the Suns halted their trade negotiation with the Lakers because they believed the asking price was just too steep for Gasol. The Lakers reportedly wanted to get one of the two most valuable first-round picks the Suns possessed - the pick from the Wizards and the one from Minnesota.

Fox Sports provided details of the Suns' unproductive trade talks with the Lakers:

"The Phoenix Suns have stopped talks to acquire Pau Gasol because they feel the Lakers want too much for the veteran post player, according to a person familiar with the situation," reported Fox Sports.

"Phoenix could own four picks in the June draft, and the Lakers coveted one of the more valuable two - the pick the Suns could potentially get from Minnesota or the one they might receive from Washington."

"Both of those picks are protected and will revert back to Washington and Minnesota if they stumble. The Wizards' pick is top-12 protected, so the Suns technically own it at this point (17th overall before Tuesday's games), while the Timberwolves' pick is top-13 protected, meaning Minnesota holds it right now (12th overall before Tuesday)," he added.

Cavaliers Coming at Gasol

The Cavaliers have not ended their pursuit of Gasol, who will sit out for at least a week due to a groin injury. If the Suns decide not to engage in another talks with the Lakers, the Cavaliers might hammer the deal for Gasol by sending a package of draft picks and young players (Dion Waiters or Tristan Thompson).

"Speaking of the Cavaliers, ESPN reports that the Lakers have stayed in contact with Cleveland regarding a possible Gasol deal, though nothing is happening on that front right now due to the Cavs' record being just as bad as L.A.'s," Lakerholics reported.

For more Lakers trade rumors, read more at IBT Sports