While Philadelphia 76ers guard Ben Simmons has made it clear he would like to be traded to a team in California, Sixers president of basketball operations Daryl Morey will no doubt explore every avenue for a deal, regardless of the location of a team. One squad that has shown interest in Simmons is the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Athletic's Timberwolves beat reporter John Krawczynski, however, recently reported that the team is hesitant to give up any of their core pieces in order to acquire him.

They want a premium for (Simmons),” Krawczynski said of the Sixers on the “Athletic NBA Show” podcast on Friday. “Someone that can help them right away. But the Timberwolves don’t want to trade Anthony Edwards or Karl-Anthony towns. Those are those are deal-breakers. And they really would rather not trade D’Angelo Russell.”

That doesn't leave much in terms of assets for Morey to be sold on. It's obvious the Timberwolves wouldn't give up their franchise cornerstone in Towns, and Edwards showed flashes of stardom as a rookie last season, but Russell isn't exactly at his peak value given his pricey contract. Russell's friendship with Towns was supposedly part of the reason the Timberwolves traded for him in the first place, so perhaps GM Gersson Rosas is fearful that dealing Russell could upset Towns.

It is unclear if Morey is even interested in Russell. His jump shot and ability to play off the ball make him a solid offensive fit next to Joel Embiid, but he would be a significant downgrade from Simmons on the defensive end.

Morey might have to settle for whatever offer is out there, as Krawczynski said on the podcast that the market for Simmons is “fairly dry.” But it appears the Timberwolves are one of the few teams actively pursuing a trade.