Ben Simmons has been on the trade market for quite some time, and many have linked him with an eventual exit from the Philadelphia 76ers. There are plenty of teams that would love Ben Simmons on their team due to his defensive ability and his playmaking for his teammates.
One of the teams that have consistently been linked with Ben Simmons is the Minnesota Timberwolves. ESPN’s Zach Lowe stated that they were one of the three teams alongside the San Antonio Spurs and the Golden State Warriors that have had discussions on Ben Simmons.
Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic has recently stated that the Minnesota Timberwolves have continued discussions on a trade for Ben Simmons, while also saying that there would likely have to be a third team in the trade due to the Minnesota Timberwolves not really having win-now players that the 76ers want.
Beverley’s status as a veteran with playoff experience may also make him a little easier to include in a possible trade offer for Ben Simmons. While certainly not anything close to a headliner, Beverley’s defensive chops and ability to hit open 3s would help Philadelphia a lot more than any combination of Culver and/or Hernangomez.
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. 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.
It would certainly be interesting to see Ben Simmons on the Timberwolves, and he is known to be friends with Karl-Anthony Towns. It seems fair to say that the Minnesota Timberwolves have a concrete interest in adding Ben Simmons to their roster, but so far, it seems as though a pathway to do that hasn’t yet materialized.
