Kahn says no to any Love or Rubio trade

Timberwolves boss David Kahn wanted to make three things clear on Tuesday.

He's not trading Kevin Love.

He's not trading Ricky Rubio.

And he hasn't decided the future of coach Kurt Rambis yet.

Recent unsourced Internet reports have suggested Love or the No. 2 pick in Thursday's draft -- or quite possibly both -- could be headed to Los Angeles for Lakers veteran forward Pau Gasol.

It's a proposal that at first glance -- and second and third -- doesn't make any sense for a rebuilding franchise.

Lakers center Andrew Bynum, who's long, athletic, only 23 and might be available for the pick and other pieces? Yes.

But Gasol?

Love is 22. Gasol, 31, and is owed $60 million over the next three seasons.

"Absolutely not, no ifs ands or buts," Kahn said. "Kevin will be on this team next year and I expect Kevin, as I've said numerous times, to be on this team for many, many years. I see him as being a very important part of our future."

He took the same stance on Rubio, even though it's conceivable Cleveland could take Arizona's Derrick Williams first in Thursday's NBA draft. That would leave Duke point guard Kyrie Irving available two days after the Wolves welcomed Rubio to the franchise.

"Ricky Rubio will not be traded by the Timberwolves," Kahn said. "You can go to sleep on it. He's here for a long, long time."

Still waiting Rambis' future isn't nearly as certain, and hasn't been since the season ended more than two months ago.

Rambis didn't attend Tuesday's news conference that introduced Rubio and Kahn said he doubts Rambis will attend Thursday's draft but said they've been "working closely" together on it.

Kahn and Rambis met for more than six hours over two days last week. Kahn called those meetings "very positive" and said he hopes to meet with owner Glen Taylor about the matter this week.

"I've been in contact with Kurt and I think we have an understanding of where we're at in the process," he said. "I wouldn't say we're at a comfort level because I recognize this is painful for everybody involved, or at least awkward at a minimum. But I think we understand where we're at. All in due time."

Plan B? Kahn said he knows exactly what the team will do if Cleveland should take Williams first rather than Irving.

"We'll take him," Kahn said of Irving. "He's not moving past 2."

Rubio's impact The Wolves report these happenings since Rubio announced on Friday that he was Minnesota-bound: 500 season tickets sold, web page views have tripled (thanks to an exclusive interview with Rubio on Tuesday) and the full season-ticket base has surpassed 7,000, the most since the 2004-05 season.