Minnesota Timberwolves Receive: G/F Ben Simmons, C James Wiseman, G/F Danny Green
Golden State Warriors Receive: C Karl-Anthony Towns
Philadelphia 76ers Receive: F Andrew Wiggins, G Malik Beasley, F Jaden McDaniels, GSW 2022 1st Round Pick (Unprotected), MIN 2024 1st Round Pick (Top-8 Protected), GSW 2025 1st Round Pick (Top-5 Protected)
Since Karl-Anthony Towns has been in the league, the Minnesota Timberwolves have been a very underwhelming team. This is definitely not Towns’ fault though, as he has averaged 22.9 points, 11.6 rebounds, 1.4 blocks and has shot 39.4% from deep over the course of his career, making KAT one of the better all-around centers in the league.
Towns will be turning 26-years-old in November and will be entering the prime years of his career, so does he really want to waste them in Minnesota? If this team stays healthy with D’Angelo Russell, Anthony Edwards, Malik Beasley and others, they will definitely be a competitive team, but it is hard to imagine that the Timberwolves will win over 30-35 games this upcoming year.
Without another solidified All-Star, Minnesota is once again going to miss the playoffs and this is not at all Karl-Anthony Towns’ fault. Going to a team like the Golden State Warriors would not only benefit Towns and his career trajectory, but he would finally be able to be a contributing member of a championship-caliber team.
Golden State seemed to be somewhat interested in moving both Andrew Wiggins and James Wiseman in the offseason for another solidified All-Star and while they did not get a deal done, they could once again look to leverage these assets, plus draft compensation, for a player like Towns to put in their frontcourt next to Draymond Green.
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KAT is the perfect fit for the Warriors not only because of his rebounding abilities, but because he is a menace in pick-and-roll. He can not only roll to the basket and be on the receiving end of lob passes at the rim, but Towns can also step out on the perimeter and knock down multiple three-point shots in a single game.
The 2x All-Star big man is the perfect center for the Golden State Warriors to target, hence why they could be interested in sending out Wiggins, Wiseman and draft picks to make this trade happen. For Philadelphia, they have been looking to move Ben Simmons for months now, but they have been unsuccessful in doing so.
At this point, it is hard to imagine the Philadelphia 76ers getting the value they originally wanted for Simmons and at the same time, it is hard to imagine they will keep him around given that they have burned bridges with him.
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Maybe the 3x All-Star does begin the season with them, but the Minnesota Timberwolves are interested in acquiring Ben Simmons and the Sixers could get a solid chunk of future value from this trade.
Given the way things have gone, it seems likely that the 76ers may very well look to wait on trading Ben Simmons since he is a valuable player and they do not want to give him up for anything. Trading Simmons and then dropping in the standings is not something Philadelphia intends to do, especially since they view themselves as a real title contender in the Eastern Conference.
Wiggins, Beasley and McDaniels, plus first-round draft compensation, is a lot of future value coming into Philly, but at the same time, they may not want to make this trade for the sole reason that they would likely fall a bit in the Eastern Conference. If Simmons plays during the 2021-22 season with the Philadelphia 76ers and improves, then his value will definitely increase, especially around the NBA trade deadline.
A trade like this is not going to happen during the 2021-22 season and if Towns is going to be traded, it will likely be during the offseason, but let’s see if this trade does make sense value-wise for all three teams involved.
