The Minnesota Timberwolves are coming off yet another disappointing season that resulted in missing the postseason. However, things turned around at the end of the year as the Wolves were able to find winning ways with head coach Chris Finch's (took over for Ryan Saunders during the season) message being bought into. Minnesota also got a huge boost in getting Karl-Anthony Towns and D'Angelo Russell healthy and on the floor at the same time with rookie sensation Anthony Edwards.
There are plenty of pieces already in place for the Timberwolves, putting them in a prime position to be aggressive via the trade market this summer. Ben Simmons is a player they seem awfully smitten on and now, it seems there's some clarity on what the Wolves think of D'Angelo Russell moving forward amid all the Simmons trade talks; via The Athletic.
In Minnesota, while the Wolves would certainly need Simmons to shoot more than zero times in the fourth quarter, they wouldn’t need him to be a No. 2 option on offense. Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards and D’Angelo Russell (the Timberwolves view Russell as a part of the core and want to keep it that way, sources said) give coach Chris Finch three accomplished offensive players to get buckets down the stretch. – The Athletic.
It's yet to be seen whether or not the Sixers will get an offer to their liking to trade Simmons, who struggled mightily on the biggest of stages in the postseason. It's also hard to believe the Timberwolves could acquire the all-star from Philly without including a package that centers around Russell. Towns and Edwards are likely as untouchable as it gets, leaving many to believe Russell could be the odd one out in a trade.
One thing that is for sure, the trade talks linking Simmons to Minnesota have already started.
Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations Gersson Rosas and 76ers General Manager Elton Brand met in Chicago during the NBA combine, sources say, where a Ben Simmons trade to Minnesota was discussed.
The negotiations are not substantive at this time, sources say.
— Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) July 9, 2021
It will be fascinating to see if the Timberwolves can make a deal work for Simmons without having to give up Towns, Edwards or Russell.
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