The Los Angeles Lakers could be bringing in a key piece of the future if reports are true that Rudy Gay is on their radar.

Gay was initially believed to be headed to the New Orleans Pelicans for Ryan Anderson, but negotiations bogged down.

It didn't take long, however, for his name to surface once again, and this time the Lakers are allegedly showing interest. But who do the Lakers offer in exchange?

Roy Hibbert was the player being offered, but seeing that the Kings have a crowded frontline led by DeMarcus Cousins, that pitch may not exactly fit.

How about Lou Williams instead? It could work only that the Kings could ask for more. Would Jordan Clarkson be included?

Now, that is the angle that could spark some debate. Everyone knows the mileage that Clarkson has had since joining the team last year. If not for injuries, Clarkson is perhaps the most consistent Laker on the team right now.

Aside from that, there is the future to consider on the Lakers' end. Clarkson is among the young big three the Lakers are banking on, the others being Julius Randle and rookie D'Angelo Russell. So would the team go as far as to break that up in exchange for a veteran like Gay? Somehow, it just doesn't add up.

A Lou Williams trade makes sense, although another player could be in the mix. Either that or it could include multiple players to make it work. Remember, Cousins has long been mentioned in trade rumors and the Lakers were among the teams expressing interest in him too.

The National Basketball Association (NBA) trade deadline is still weeks away so expect more tweaks if the Lakers are indeed interested in Gay. If not, expect another team to be linked to the power forward — particularly the ones who have a player who can hit it from the outside.