The Minnesota Timberwolves were among the first teams reported as having interest in Philadelphia 76ers star Ben Simmons.
It appears as though that interest remains.
"The Wolves have continued to have discussions with the Sixers on Simmons, sources said, but the lack of win-now assets they could provide the Sixers in their pursuit of a championship has been a hindrance," reports The Athletic's Jon Krawczynski.
"A third team would almost assuredly have to be brought in to get more immediate impact assets to the Sixers, and that is a complicated endeavor."
Timberwolves add toughness by trading for Patrick Beverley, jettison 2 unhappy campers https://t.co/VFaAJoHqPN
— Jon Krawczynski (@JonKrawczynski) August 17, 2021
On July 13, 2021, The Athletic's Shams Charania reported that the 76ers had "opened up trade conversations" surrounding Simmons and had engaged with teams. Since then, a number of teams have reportedly shown interest in him, though the 76ers have insisted that they will "not be rushed or pressured into trading Simmons," per Marc Stein of Substack.
The No. 1 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, Simmons has career averages of 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds and 7.7 assists through four seasons of his career. He's earned three All-Star selections, as well as an All-NBA Third Team selection and two All-Defensive First Team selections.
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NBA.com Staff reactions
Scott Rafferty (@crabdribbles): It doesn't come as a huge surprise to me that the Timberwolves continue to show interest in Simmons.
For one, there's a need for his defensive prowess on this roster. The Timberwolves ranked 28th in defensive efficiency last season and are a team built around players who aren't exactly known for their defence in D'Angelo Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns. (Anthony Edwards wasn't great on that end of the court either last season, but he at least has the tools to develop into a good defender in time). While Simmons wouldn't solve all of their issues, he could solve a lot of them.
Secondly, the Timberwolves have a star in Towns who would complement Simmons well offensively. Joel Embiid had a career year from the 3-point line last season, but Towns is on another level. Not only does he take a lot more 3s (6.7 3-point attempts per 36 minutes last season compared to 3.5 for Embiid), but he's a much more versatile shooter.
Playing next to a knockdown shooter at the five in Towns would open up the floor for Simmons in ways we haven't seen to this point of his career.
The problem, of course, is the Timberwolves don't really have the assets to acquire Simmons. If we're assuming both Edwards and Towns are off the table, their best bet would be building a package around D'Angelo Russell and Malik Beasley, but would that be enough for the 76ers to compete with the Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets at the top of the Eastern Conference?
The answer is probably no, which is why the Timberwolves would likely need to get a third team involved to pull this off, but I do like the on-court fit for Simmons in Minnesota.
Kyle Irving (@KyleIrv_): When the Simmons-Timberwolves rumours started a few months back, it instantly became my favourite destination for the three-time All-Star.
Without overlapping too much with what Scott said, his defensive presence would be major for one of the worst defensive teams in the NBA last season. Additionally, Simmons flying up the court in transition with Edwards running by his side sounds like a highlight reel waiting to happen, and the idea of Simmons-Towns pick-and-rolls and pick-and-pops sounds like trouble for opposing defences because of the mismatches they would create and Towns' knack for knocking down perimeter shots.
Simmons and Towns wouldn't step on each other's toes as much as Simmons and Embiid do, and I think Minnesota would be a great change of scenery spot for Simmons after spending the first five years of his career in Philadelphia. But the main reason I like this fit is because it wouldn't squeeze Simmons' role into a box the way, say, a move to the Golden State Warriors would. It would still give Simmons a chance to prove he's still the All-Star calibre player we've seen in the past.
To reiterate what Scott said, I'm not sure the Timberwolves have what it takes to get a deal done, assuming they wouldn't part ways with Edwards or Towns, but if they can find a way to make it happen, they should.
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