Are the Minnesota Timberwolves motivated to get a trade done?
In six full seasons now, Karl-Anthony Towns has only been to the playoffs with Minnesota once, and the Minnesota Timberwolves have gone 185-279 since he was drafted 1st overall in 2015.
Going after Ben Simmons and forming a potential trio of three No. 1 overall picks with him, Edwards and Towns sound like something to get Minnesota fans excited and would be a formidable trio in the Western Conference.
All offseason long, Simmons has been involved in NBA trade rumors, but the Sixers have been unable to find a trade they like for their young superstar.
The Philadelphia 76ers have stated that they want a big return for Ben Simmons, including another All-Star talent, so a third team may very well have to get involved in any deal that would send the Sixers’ young talent to Minnesota, but the Timberwolves nonetheless believe they are the team that is best suited for the 3x All-Star.
Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic stated on his podcast “The Jon Krawczynski Show – A Timberwolves podcast” that Sachin Gupta, who took over for Rosas in the Timberwolves’ front-office, believes that the 76ers’ All-Star fits right in with what this team is doing.
“(Sachin Gupta) absolutely is a fan of Ben Simmons. He was in Philadelphia when Ben Simmons first got there. I do think that overall, just the organization’s position is that Ben Simmons is a perfect fit for their roster for what they need and what Ben Simmons needs from a team around him. So I do think that they are going to continue to pursue Ben Simmons aggressively, I can’t say, you know, 100% that, you know, they’re in the driver’s seat, or it’s going to happen or anything like that. But I do know that the dismissal of Gersson Rosas has not poured any cold water on their pursuit of Simmons, they really think that he can be a difference maker.”
Previously, the Minnesota Timberwolves had been adamant on the fact that they did not want to trade away any of their three “stars” in Russell, Edwards, and Towns, but Gupta could be more than willing to move Russell if this results in the Timberwolves landing Ben Simmons from Philly.
LATEST NBA NEWS & RUMORS: This Sixers-Timberwolves Trade Is Headlined By Ben Simmons
On the other side of things though, you have to take into consideration that the Philadelphia 76ers have remained vigilant in their pursuit of another All-Star talent to replace Ben Simmons and D’Angelo Russell may not be the player they had envisioned.
Russell is a very talented player, but he has had trouble remaining healthy over the years and his play style on offense of being very ball-reliant could clash with that of Joel Embiid’s style of play.
