As the December 15 trading period draws near, recent rumors have emerged that the Los Angeles Lakers are interested in dealing for Minnesota's Shabazz Muhammad, but the Timberwolves are reportedly unwilling to part ways with their young wing man despite the team's depth at the no. 2 and 3 spots.

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Lakers Nation reported L.A. as "one of two teams interested in trading for" Muhammad with the other one being the Brooklyn Nets.

Byron Scott's team is badly in need of depth at the small forward spot currently occupied by aging veterans Kobe Bryant and Metta World Peace. Their other options are trade chip Nick Young and rookie Larry Nance Jr., who is considered too raw to be a reliable starter at the said position.

While Bryant still commands bulk of the playing time at the spot, the five-time NBA champion had announced that this will be his last season in the league and so the Hollywood squad is looking to prepare for that eventuality as early as midseason.

The 23-year-old former UCLA standout is said to be the solution the Lakers are looking for.

Muhammad is young, athletic, and shows a lot of promise, but had not been given enough minutes in Minnesota to develop to his full potential. He has seen less than 18 minutes per game in 20 games so far this season, averaging 8.0 points and 2.6 rebounds shooting 46.2 percent from the field, playing behind Tayshaun Prince, Andrew Wiggins, Zach LaVine, and even Kevin Martin in the depth chart.

A move to the Lakers would surely be beneficial for him and the team especially next season when he could start alongside other young studs Julius Randle, D'Angelo Russell, and Jordan Clarkson. That would be a solid core for the future moving forward.

However, NBC Sports' Pro Basketball Talk indicated that the Wolves are "unwilling to move him in deal," citing Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski.

While Muhammad's camp really wished he could move somewhere where he can get more than 18 mpg, the franchise still has control over the second-year pro's immediate future.

Fansided noted that Muhammad still "has two years left on his deal before he enters restricted free agency in the summer of 2017" and the Lakers may not be willing to wait for him that long. A trade is most likely the only way right now to get him to Tinseltown.

TagsNBA Trade Rumors, Lakers Trade Rumors, Lakers rumors, Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Shabazz Muhammad