My colleague Brian Stensaas got a tip off his story in this morning’s paper and I just got it confirmed:

The Wolves will trade a second-round pick to Dallas for Nathan Jawai, the 6-10, second-year Australian forward who played sparingly in six games with Toronto last season.

But he fits the profile of guys David Kahn has been seeking: Young (23), reasonably athletic and he’ll give them a thicker big body than they currently have with Kevin Love injured and Al Jefferson affected by Achilles tendinitis.

Jefferson, btw, did not participate in this morning’s shootaround at Pepsi Center before tonight’s game against the Nuggets.

Still trying to figure out the Wolves end of the deal. Dallas likely is making the move for luxury-tax and roster purposes.

Marc Stein reported last month that the Mavs wanted to move Jawai and Shawne Williams in a 2-for-1 deal before training camp started, but they apparently never were able to do that.

This trade does not include Williams, I’m told.

Indiana took Jawai 41st overall in the 2008 draft, but traded him in the Jermaine O’Neal trade to Toronto, when then traded him to Dallas last summer in the Shawn Marion deal.

Jawai played eight minutes in one preseason game with the Mavs so far. He spent some time in the D League last season as well.

Expect him to join the team in Detroit, where they play the Pistons on Thursday. I expect he’d make his debut in the preseason finale Friday in Sioux Falls against his former Raptors team.

Update from the Wolves: The deal is this: Jawai and cash considerations from the Mavericks in exchange for a conditional second-round pick in the 2012 Draft. The pick is protected through the 55th draft position. “Nathan is a young project who likely will add depth to our roster at his position,” said David Kahn, Timberwolves President of Basketball Operation. “We were contemplating this trade prior to Kevin Love’s hand injury, so this move is not intended to replace Kevin in the short term by any means. That would not be fair to Nathan. Rather, this move provided us an opportunity to work with a young player with size, and later determine if he could be a fit for us.”

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