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

The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly preparing a package for Minnesota Timberwolves star Kevin Love with the hope of landing the talented power forward before the Feb 20 trade deadline, a source close to situation reported on Tuesday.

The Lakers apparently could not wait for two more years to acquire Love, as recent reports indicated that General Manager Mitch Kupchak is preparing a package for the All-Star big man.

"The NBA trade deadline is just two days away and once again, Kevin Love has been the focal point of trade talks. It was reported today that the Lakers and Mavericks are in the mix for Love as they both are trying to put together a package for the power forward that would tempt Minnesota to ship the All-Star west," Lakers Nation reported.

According to Lakers nation, the deal could be involved All-Star big man Pau Gasol, 2014 first-round pick and a handful of players in exchange for Love, who is putting up monster stats this 2013-14 season.

Love is averaging 25.8 points and 13.2 rebounds per game for the T-Wolves, but his effort was not enough to make his team a legitimate playoff contender in a very tough Western Conference.

Several weeks ago, Love was linked to a possible return in Los Angeles where he spent his college days at UCLA. The double-double machine is already drawing interest from the Lakers, NY Knicks and the Chicago Bulls, even if he has one-and-half season left before he can opt out from his contract with the Timberwolves.

Gasol is the only significant asset the Lakers have after breaking up their championship calibre core last season. The Spaniard will be an unrestricted free-agent after this season, but the T-Wolves management has always been in love to have a finesse player like Gasol who will pretty fit in with the team's up-tempo system.

"Love has two more years left with the Timberwolves before he will hit free agency. While the better move for the Lakers would be to wait until Summer 2015 to go after the Southern California native, it appears as if they will make the necessary moves to acquire Love before Thursday's trade deadline."

"Any package that the Lakers put together would have to include forward Pau Gasol, whose contract will expire this summer. The Lakers might also have to offer their first round pick in the upcoming draft," Lakers Nation added.

Then again, the ball is on the court of Wolves GM Flip Saunders, who previously stressed he won't make any deal involving Love. But with the trade deadline looming, surprising deals could happen in a blink of an eye.